Heaven's Light
by firebenderAnnabeth
Summary: Once upon a time, in a far away land, a beautiful young princess lived in a shining castle. Although she had everything her heart desired, the princess was prideful, selfish and unkind. Because of her flaws she was cursed by a beautiful enchantress to become a beast. She had until her 21st birthday to break the curse by finding someone to love. Who could ever learn to love a beast?


**Here is my Beauty and the Beast au! It's been weeks in the making, but really only took 4-5 days to write everything out. Now this wasn't edited much by me, just a quick read through so there will be mistakes. You can find all the parts and links to Annabeth's dresses on my tumblr: jediannabeth. Now on with it! Reviews are encouraged and welcomed! Enjoy!**

* * *

Staring out of the windows the princess watched as the rain pounded against the glass, accompanied by the rolling of thunder and flashes of lightning. It was one of the worst storms the kingdom had in months, and it didn't seem to be letting up any time soon.

What a perfect day to storm, she thought to herself quietly.

She was in mourning clothes, as custom after the death of family members. Her dress which was in typical Victorian fashion was composed of two main parts. Her bodice had a high neckline that covered her neck trimmed with black lace. The sleeves went all the way down to her wrists, with her hands covered up in delicate floral lace. Her underskirt formed a royal length train behind her while her skirt pushed out from the back of her hips to form a full backside. On her head was a black crepe bonnet, covering all of her blonde hair. A veil made of the rough silk fell across her stone face covering it from the world.

The mourning princess was in the most secluded part of her castle up in the West Wing. It was dark and full of shadows, which was the perfect place to hide away from everything. Every servant knew to stay away from her today. She already had enough pity stares for a lifetime.

Every other royal that showed up for the funeral of King Frederick and Queen Athena gave her the looks of pity and doubt. They were worried about her being suddenly thrust into a position of power so young, and without a husband. Queen Hera from the neighboring kingdom hadn't let anything back. The two had always had a disliking for each other, even when she was a young child. They had an argument at the funeral about her abilities which had felt like a smack in the face to the princess. Yelling and insults were thrown causing a big scene and for both to storm off in an angry frenzy.

Even if it was days ago, she was still steaming with anger. The insults consumed her every thought as she mulled it over. She had promised herself to be the best ruler the kingdom has ever seen, and she would do it alone. She knew that she was a much better ruler than Hera ever could be. She was far more wiser and more intelligent than the trophy wife to the King. She wasn't even sure if Hera could read or write, no less be able to compare to herself on an intellectual scale. Even as a child, she knew she would always be far more superior than her.

"Your majesty?" a soft voice came from the entrance of the chamber.

A loud clap of thunder boomed in the background as the princess whipped her head around to face whoever was disturbing her. A petite girl with elvish features was standing there with her head down and arms behind her back. The princess glared at her for interrupting her solitude.

"What is it?" she demanded.

The servant jumped a little at the tone of voice but continued to speak anyway. She balanced from foot to foot and kept looking down.

"There's someone at the front gates wanting to have an audience with you," she quietly said.

Slowly the princess lifted up her veil and put it back behind her. She glared at the servant girl who looked up for a second only to flinch away immediately afterward. She took a step forward.

"If it is no-one of importance, send them away."

"That's the problem, your majesty. They won't leave until you speak with them."

The two women were silent for a few moments before the princess let out a growl of anger. She stormed past the servant and stomped down the grand staircase that led to the atrium of the castle she lived in. She put her gloved hands on the intricate door handles and yanked them open to reveal an old beggar woman.

Wind from outside was howling, blowing the rain inside and all over the princess which only angered her more. The beggar woman turned around to show her wizened and haggard looking face. In her hand was a single rose which seemed to shine bright in the dark night.

"Your majesty, I come before you in seek of shelter from the storm tonight. Your palace is the only sanctuary for miles and I'm afraid my old body cannot walk any further," her voice was rough and cracked at certain words.

The princess was disgusted by her, and couldn't believe she had the nerve to not leave until she spoken to her.

"There is a church a few miles away, go there," the princess told her coldly.

The old woman raised her left arm shakily and lifted the rose up before the princess.

"Please, I can't walk any further. Take this rose as a token of my gratitude, as well as a token of my sorrow for your loss. It will just be for one night, until the storm has blown over," she begged.

Anger overcame the princess and she swiped the rose out of the beggars hand and stepped on it with her heeled boot. She glared at the old woman on the other side and scowled at her.

"You know nothing of sorrow you disgusting beggar woman. A rose won't bring them back, and it won't give you shelter at my castle either! You better get away from me before the storm kills you too!" she angrily exclaimed.

She went to slam the door, but the old woman's cane jammed the way. The princess sneered at the old woman for daring to do such a thing to her. The old brown eyes hardened as she looked at the princess.

"Before you turn your back on an ugly woman like me, be warned your majesty. Your pride and arrogance will be your undoing. The ice around your heart will stop you from finding true happiness. You may look like a princess, but your soul is very wicked. Remember, beauty comes from within."

"Remember who you are talking to old woman. I am your Queen now and will be treated as such. You have disrespected me, and you have no idea who I am. Leave now before I do something that will truly be wicked."

With that declaration, a clap of thunder roared over the sky followed by a flash of lightning so bright the princess had to close her eyes for a second. When she opened them, in the place of the old woman was Queen Hera. Confused as to how that could be possible, the princess tried to find a logical explanation.

She was in a dark green evening dress, with her black hair curled beautifully into ringlets around her face. With a wave of her hand, the air around her shimmered and the rose the princess had crushed underneath her foot, magically appeared in her hand again pristine and bright pink in color.

"How-how is this possible?" the princess stuttered out.

"You arrogant little girl," Queen Hera chided, "how little you really know. You have always been too prideful for your own good, and now it is time you be punished for it."

"Why?" the princess demanded.

"You have no love in your heart. A good queen would've given sanctuary to any traveler who needed it, especially in times like these. Instead, in your own selfish desire and pride you turned her away. And now you must learn a lesson the hard way. I will curse you and all who stays with you in your castle. Those who have struck a deal with me, will be spared."

"My servants went behind my back?" she said in aghast.

Hera just gave her a look of fake sympathy to the princess.

"Don't act so surprised your majesty."

She lifted the shimmering rose in front of the princess' face. It shone brightly in the dark night, looking like it was covered in mist and glitter. It was the most beautiful thing the princess had ever seen.

"This rose I offered you as a gift of condolence will bloom until your twenty-first birthday. If you learn to yield your pride, as well as find someone to melt the ice around your heart, and earn their trust and love in return before the last petal falls, your curse will be lifted. If not...you'll be damned to life as a beast for eternity."

"Hera, you can't do this to me!" The princess yelled.

With the flick of her wrist, the air shifted around the princess, immediately immobilizing her. The princess fell to her knees in agony and closed her eyes. She let out a scream of pain as she felt her body changing before her. The princess ripped the mourning bonnet off her head and felt the hair coming out of her head. The transformation only lasted a few seconds.

When the princess opened her eyes, she was met with complete darkness. A wave of panic crashed into her.

"Why can't I see?" she yelled.

She leaned down to touch the ground beneath her and started crawling around like she was a toddler again. The princess felt a hand grab hers, and placed a thorned stem inside the palm of her hand. It pricked her skin and she let out a yelp of pain.

"Part of your punishment is to take away your sight. You value your books and intelligence, therefore I ripped your only portal to gaining more of it until you learn your lesson. As for your looks, I'm sure you've heard of the myth of Medusa."

"Medusa?" she whispered to herself before she remembered.

She put her hand to her head and instead of feeling soft hair, she felt scaly snakes slithering on top of her head. She let out another scream of despair as she realized what her fate was. The idea of being completely blind left her in a crazed state. She felt desperate and angry that she couldn't see. Something seemed to shatter inside of her mind. Her rationale that she had prided herself on, vanished. With that, she raked her hands across her eyes, realizing that she now had claws where her nails were. She cut across her face tearing flesh on either sides of her eyes and down her nose and cheekbones too.

"HERA!" she cried demanding more answers.

But was left alone out in the pouring rain.

* * *

Percy was always up at the crack of dawn with his mother. Together they ran the little village bakery where everyone got their sweet treats and bread for the week. For as long as he could remember it has always just been the two of them against the world.

The aromas of cinnamon and other spices wafted through the small kitchen and around the small house they had. Percy had put his apron on as he walked into the kitchen and started helping his mother Sally kneed the dough.

Sally, a average height woman with wavy brown hair with streaks of gray in it and the kindest blue eyes gave a warm smile to her son before kissing him on the cheek. She squeezed his shoulder before going back to making cinnamon rolls.

"Good morning Percy," she greeted.

He kissed his mother in return with a big smile on his face.

"Good morning to you too mom."

The two of them got to work and had a beautiful silence between them for a few minutes. The sun was just rising over the horizon starting a new day for them. Slowly it trickled inside their small windows lighting up the kitchen and warming it up. Sally put her batch of cinnamon rolls and pies in the brick oven that was built inside the house and closed the lid. She wiped her floury and sticky hands on her apron before cleaning them off with a wet washcloth she kept on the counter.

"I know you're still worried about my trip to the fair to show off my new baking recipes, but I will be okay."

Percy sighed thinking about the dangerous trip his mother would be making alone the next morning. Not that he didn't have any faith in her, because he knew better than anyone she could do anything. But it was just that between their village and the next, was a whole forest that was filled with unknowns. And that's what scared Percy. He was worried that she would get hurt and he wouldn't be there to help her.

"How'd you know I was thinking of that?" he asked.

His mother gave him a soft smile in return. She walked over to him and put her soft hand on his cheek, which he leaned into instinctively.

"Because you had that look on your face."

"I'm just scared that you'll get hurt, and I won't be able to help you. There are so many unknowns that we can't account for. I want to come with you."

She gave a soft sigh.

"I know you do sweetie. But I need someone to run the bakery while I'm gone, and you're the only person I know who could do that. I'll be gone two days tops. I swear if I'm not back home by then, you can go searching for me okay?"

The two of them locked eyes for a few moments before Percy reluctantly nodded in agreement. He couldn't really stop her from going, not when this fair meant so much to her.

"Okay."

Sally took her hand off his cheek and kissed it before squeezing it and giving him a big smile in return. In Percy's opinion her smile was more radiant than the sun, and it made him happy that she could smile like that with him.

"Now, I need you to deliver some bread and pastries to the Smith and Lachance households for me."

She walked over to where she had neatly wrapped loaves of all kinds of bread and placed them in a wicker basket for Percy to bring down.

At the mention of the Lachance household, Percy had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. The daughter of Atlas Lachance, Calypso, was someone Percy tried to avoid at all costs. Mostly because she always tried to advance on him, no matter how many times he's indicated he's not interested in her at all. He even figured that she had ordered from the bakery just so she could see him again. But the Lachance family was the wealthiest family in the village, and they always gave a good sum of money in return for their baked goods. So it was worth seeing Calypso again.

Percy took off his apron and hung it up on a hook against the wall of the kitchen. He ran a hand through his black hair to quickly brush it. He strapped on his leather boots and took the basket from his mother.

"I'll see you at noon," he promised before leaving the house.

They lived on the outskirts of town on a hill that was above the rest of the village. He walked down the smooth dirt road that was worn down from all the horse and carriage travelers that always came through. It was morning now, meaning that everyone in the village was up and about starting their daily routine.

It only took him a few minutes to walk into the center. The village was a rather small one, with only around sixty people living in it together. So everyone knew everyone's name, and gossip spread like wildfire between the women of the village.

"Good morning Percy!" a kind older woman named Mary greeted him.

She was a kind librarian of the town, and even though Percy didn't really like reading himself, he always was in there renting books for his mother to read when she had free time. His mother would always read outloud to him the books and whisk them away on adventures within the pages. It was one of his fondest memories.

"Hello Mrs. Quinn, how are you this morning?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh just lovely!"

She then gasped like she remembered something. She reached into her own basket and pulled out a book. It was a beautiful hardcover book with golden words written on the spine and cover. She handed it over to him.

"This is for your mother dear. I think she'll love it!"

She then came closer like she was sharing a big secret with him. Percy leaned down curious as to what she was going to share with him.

"And I heard it was the book that the Queen was reading when she died. It was one of her favorites."

Percy leaned back with a shocked look on his face. He looked down at the book and back at Mrs. Quinn again. He wasn't sure he wanted the last book the late Queen Athena had when she died. It made him feel uneasy. Especially since the new queen went into hiding almost six years ago.

"Where did you even get this from?" he asked the old librarian.

"A friend of mine used to work at the castle you know," she began.

"Then when the young princess fell under a curse, she became completely blind and a beast. She took the book right under her nose when she left that cursed place, and gave it to me to keep."

"Why would she steal from the princess?"

The old woman's blue eyes looked right into his. She knew much more about the local princess turned queen than he did.

"Because according to her, the princess stole many years from her. And for her revenge she stole something precious from her too. She said it was extremely easy to do so considering how disoriented and helpless she was being blind. Plus she knew she was a monster, so she refused to show herself ever again."

"Hmm, interesting. Thanks for the book Mrs. Quinn," Percy said.

The local legend of the beast princess Annabeth turned into always unsettled Percy. He wasn't sure if it was true or not. He knew that she was a wicked person, and that's probably what they meant when they called her a beast. Beasts didn't really exist. At least, that's what he liked to tell himself.

"Oh I'd do anything for your mother Percy. Have a great day!" she said with joy before walking away.

Percy tucked the book in the bottom of the basket before moving on with his deliveries for the day.

The Smiths were kind as always with their payment. He tried to give back some money, but Mrs. Smith refused saying that "Sally's food is worth every penny." He chatted with Mrs. Smith for a few minutes about minuscule things. He left their house a few minutes later and started walking towards the Lachance household.

Percy took some deep breathes preparing himself for the encounter with Calypso. No matter how many times he runs into her, it always sets his nerves on end for some reason; and it's usually not a good one.

The Lachance household was all the way on the other end of town. They had the biggest house in the entire village, and it showed off their wealth. It was a beautiful Victorian style house, which seemed so out of place in the country where they lived in. But it showed who actually ran the little town.

He walked up the fancy cobblestone pathway up towards the big wooden doors that led inside. With a big globe knocker, which always seemed so tacky to Percy, he knocked on the doors and waited. A few minutes later the doors swung open revealing Calypso.

She was in a red and gold dress that showed off much more of her cleavage than Percy wanted to see. She flashed him a big smile and waved a red fan to cool herself.

"Good morning Ms. Lachance," he formally greeted.

She scoffed and waved her hand at him like he was being silly and playful with her.

"Oh my god Percy, I told you a million times to call me Calypso! Ms. Lachance is just too formal and too _old_ for my taste."

Percy just elected to ignore that comment and move on with the conversation so he could leave as soon as possible. He lifted up the basket so she could see it and gave a small, polite smile.

"I'm here to deliver your bread and pastries."

"Oh of course! Yes, yes come in please!"

She opened up the door inviting him in. He should seen that one coming a mile away. He took a step forward and went inside giving a tight smile in return. He might not like Calypso, but wouldn't be rude to a lady either. His mother raised him right.

The clacking of her heels echoed in the dim household. She led them right through their living room and into the kitchen. It was very modern looking, with every new household appliance you could think of. The Lachance's always had the most up to date things. They even had a gas stove and oven! Percy couldn't even begin to imagine having one of those in the bakery because of how expensive they are.

Calypso sat down on a stool and leaned against the wooden table of their island. Percy gently placed the basket down and took the book out and held it underneath his arm. Calypso gave a flirtatious smile and had that look in her eye again.

"I'll, um, just take the payment for the pastries now," he awkwardly asked for.

She sat up from her leaning position and curtly nodded her head. She turned her body towards another entrance that led to another room.

"Jane! Bring the money down for Percy please!" She yelled.

"Your money will be down in a few moments. Please take a seat while you're waiting," she invited.

Reluctantly he sat down on a stool that was across from Calypso. She seemed very happy that he accepted her small invitation. She once again leaned down on the table with her elbows propped up and forearms resting right underneath her bust clearly showing it off more than needed. Nervously he reached behind his neck and started rubbing it refusing to make eye contact with the woman across from him.

"I see you're still avoiding my advances of romance vehemently," she pointed out.

He looked back at her and into her amber colored eyes. Percy couldn't deny that she was a stunning woman, but he just didn't feel any romantic connection with her.

"I'm sorry Calypso, you are a very beautiful woman," he started.

"The most beautiful in the kingdom in fact," she boasted while interrupting him.

Trying to regain his train of thought, he just stared at her with his mouth open a little. A moment later he remembered and shook his head slightly.

"Okay, but I just don't feel any romantic connection with you," he finished.

Calypso scoffed and let out a curt and un-lady like laugh throwing her head back. She opened her fan and started fanning herself again. It wasn't even that hot in the kitchen.

"Percy you have so much to learn. Marriage isn't about love, it's about social class and how you look," she explained slowly like he was a child.

"You and I married together, we would be the most beautiful couple in the kingdom. We would sire the most beautiful children the world has ever seen. Think about what would happen if you married a rich socialite like me. You and your mother would become rich! You would never have to worry about making payments again."

Percy harbored the thought of that for a moment, but he still wouldn't marry her for money. He wasn't like that. He would only marry someone that he loved and who loved him back. Percy just wanted this conversation to be over already.

"I still won't marry you Calypso, I'm sorry," he apologized again.

She got an angry look on her face, and her golden eyes seemed to narrow and turn darker. She sat up straight in her stool with her hands on the edge of the table.

"I will get what I want whether you like it or not. I refuse to marry anyone else," she coldly declared.

Percy got up from the stool, starting to forget about the money and just leaving before something bad happened. Thankfully he was saved by Jane the servant who came in with a cloth pouch filled with coins and paper money for the pastries. She quietly gave it to Calypso who then in turn slammed it into Percy's hand.

"Good day Ms. Lachange," he said in farewell before booking it out of the house.

When he returned home to the bakery, there were some patrons mulling around looking at all the goods that Percy and his mother had made fresh that morning. His mother was behind the counter talking to the local blacksmith about something when he came in. When the bell rang from the door, she looked over at him briefly. He lifted up the pouch in his hand as well as taking the book out from the basket. Her face lit up with excitement before turning back towards the conversation she was holding.

Percy walked into a back room and placed all the coins into a big glass jar that was for savings. He then placed the paper money inside a drawer before locking it back up and hiding the key in their secret place. He glanced down at the book again, reading the title in the fancy gold lettering and thinking about how the late Queen had owned this book. It was a lot to process, but he placed it down on his mother's bed before heading back into the bakery to help out with the day.

The next morning, when Percy had placed the final basket of cookies inside the carriage, he wanted to cry. He was letting his mother borrow his horse Blackjack for the trip to the fair knowing that the horse could always be reliable.

The two of them embraced, Percy squeezing his mother as tight as he could trying to show how much he really loved her. She let out a small laugh and a joke about him crushing her and he let go immediately.

Her long hair was braided and wrapped around her head in a beautiful and intricate way and she looked much younger than her actual age. She was in her best attire, which meant her only brightly colored dress she owned. It was a light blue with a high neckline and long sleeves with black lace woven into it. She looked beautiful in it.

"Percy remember the promise you made me. Two days okay? I'll be fine."

Percy bowed his head and nodded at his mother. He crossed his arms over his chest and dug his heel of his worn out shoes into the dirt. He looked up a moment later into his mother's blue eyes.

"I love you," he quietly said.

She pecked him on the cheek and put her gloved hands on his shoulders.

"And I love you too sweetie. I'll see you in a few days."

"Okay."

With that she mounted on Blackjack with relative ease despite the dress and started on her way leaving Percy to run the bakery.

* * *

A roar could be heard coming from the West Wing.

All the servants who decided to stay with the princess had been cursed as well. Some were turned into enchanted household objects, some were cursed with no hearing, or speech.

The de facto leader of all the servants wasn't even a servant himself. He was the tutor of the princess since she was just a little girl. He had loved the girl with all his heart, and he loved the way she kept wanting to know more. It made him feel like he succeeded in being a teacher, at least in that sense. In the sense of ethics, it makes him sad to see how miserably he failed at teaching the young princess.

It broke his heart seeing how helpless and lost the princess had become in her own home. Anger and frustration had taken over her entire being, causing much damage to the once beautiful castle. The tutor watched from the bottom of the staircase as the figure of the princess emerged from the doors of the West Wing.

She was in a black dress which was once a beautiful mourning dress for her deceased parents. But now it was shredded from blindly trying to put it on day after day. A dark crepe veil and headdress hid what was once beautiful golden hair, but is now snakes instead. The veil went down the princess' face hiding it from the world.

"Chiron!" she called out from the top of the stairs.

The tutor quietly made his way up the stairs towards the princess. His curse was he wasn't able to speak. All his wisdom and knowledge that he had shared with her through the years was ceased. She was still looking ahead at the other balcony on the opposite side of the atrium. He couldn't see her face, but he could practically feel her dead gaze as she blindly looked on.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to tell if he was standing next to her or not, he lightly tapped on the beam telling her he was there. Her head whipped around towards him. He could hear the soft hissing of the snakes under the elaborate headdress which didn't put him at ease.

"The petals, they're falling more rapidly than ever before," she started.

Chiron looked on helplessly as he couldn't say anything back to the princess. He knew that she was obsessed with the rose Queen Hera had given her all those years ago. She kept it locked away in the West Wing in a glass case that only she could open. Even though she can't actually see the rose, she finds and counts every pedal that fell off every day, only to drive her more crazy.

"I'm going to die alone and a beast aren't I?" she wondered to herself.

The tutor wanted to reassure the princess that the curse would break eventually, but between her blindness and his lack of speech, it made it nearly impossible to do anything but watch. He hesitantly put a hand on her arm, which startled her greatly. She yanked it away and let out a growl.

"You're just as useless as every other damn servant in this castle!" she exclaimed before storming away.

As he observed her slowly making her way down the hallway, with only seven missteps and trips this time, he felt extremely sad for her. Every screech of anger that came from almost falling down felt like a dagger in his heart. The slamming of the master bedroom door caused him to flinch.

With a sigh, Chiron made his way back down the staircase and towards the servants quarters. He opened up the door and took a deep breath before falling down on his little bed. He just sat alone with his thoughts, thinking about what he could do to help the princess he practically helped raise from infantry. Time and time again he has tried to help her navigate the castle, but her pride was dented every time she needed help finding where the dining room was, or even her own bedroom. Something that was once so simple and easy for her, was now impossible and it made her more livid than she was before the curse.

Chiron was the only servant who remained human. Everyone else had been turned into household objects. Ms. Levesque and Ms. Demeter, the palace cooks had been turned into beautiful China teapots. Ms. Hestia, the main maid who ran everything in spit spot condition had been turned into a feather duster. Madame Venus Amore who was the fashion consultant, had been transformed into a wardrobe.

Many of them only stayed because they were loyal to the late King and Queen. Most hated the princess for her attitude and they way she treated all of them. They often neglected to help the princess as she stumbled around trying to get from one place to the other. Madame Amore rarely helped her dress in the morning, instead just watching as she failed time and time again to put on her clothing. The waiters, who had all been turned into candlesticks often brought out the wrong dishes to the princess, or the wrong utensils and watched her while laughing to themselves. It was the ultimate form of payback.

It was wrong to do something like that to someone who was disabled, but Chiron understood where they were coming from. The princess had always been too prideful and a brat growing up. She would always correct the servants on how to do their job correctly according to her, and would only expect the very best and nothing less from all of them. She even corrected Chiron about things he taught her. While it did annoy him from time to time, he always would forgive her and let it go.

The princess was one of the most intelligent people he's ever met. She was just a plethora of knowledge about all things. Her favorite topic to talk about was architecture. He would gladly sit around and listen to her rant and babble on about it. Anytime she did that, it was the happiest and kindest she'd ever be. She acted like a little girl around him during those times, her pride would flare up for knowing so much information at a young age, but it didn't do any damage. They would also spend hours upon hours in the library taking off books from shelves and reading them out loud together. The library was her favorite place in the entire castle, she would read books for days, time and time again.

The library was always expanding, getting new books with new information. They would be secretly delivered and stored away in the library collecting dust with the others. The princess knew there were new books, and the fact that she couldn't read them and gain more knowledge drove her insane. Many servants who worked there couldn't read, or if they did they refused to help the princess. Not that she would let them anyway. He would've been the only one to be able to help her, but he can't.

"Hello?"

Chiron perked up at the sound of a woman's voice. It was not one he recognized which meant it was someone who wasn't supposed to be here. He cracked the door open and peaked out of the crack.

The sun had set long ago making the castle dark and filled with shadows. A few feet away stood a woman in a blue and black dress which seemed to be ruined by dirt and was ripped. Her hair was falling out of it's hairstyle making it look like she had run away from something. A gash went across her left cheek and was still oozing blood down. She had a candlestick in her hand which was her only form of light. Seeing that the woman was in distress, Chiron left the servants quarters and walked towards the woman.

She had her back turned to him and he couldn't actually speak to her so he tapped her shoulder. She whipped around with the candlestick still in her hand with a surprised look on her face. He could tell that she was clearly panicking from whatever happened to her before she came here. Her pupils were blown wide covering almost all of her blue irises. She was breathing heavy and put a hand over her pounding heart.

"Oh my god, you startled me," she said breathlessly.

Chiron tried to give a smile that showed his condolences for scaring the woman. She seemed to understand and gave one in return.

"Do you work here sir?" she asked.

Chiron just nodded in confirmation. That seemed to ease her panic just a smidge.

"That's good. I'm so sorry for intruding, but it seems that I got attacked by a pack of wolves and I'm now stranded in the woods. Your castle was the only place I could see for miles. I was hoping you would be able to give me sanctuary for the night and help me back to my village in the morning."

"No! That is a terrible idea. Master will not be pleased if she finds out!" A snotty voice came.

A little miniature clock came out from the shadows. His face was pudgy, and he had bloodshot eyes and a scowl on his face. Chiron rolled his eyes at his friend Dionysus. Normally he didn't care what the princess thought, in fact he was probably the laziest servant they had. All he did was drink the leftover wine after dinner parties. Chiron often wondered how he got turned into a clock, he was better off as a bottle of wine.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me Chiron! Normally I wouldn't care what happens, but if she finds us here with this woman, we're all done for!"

The woman had a look of shock and horror mixed on her face. Her eyes kept darting back and forth from Chiron to Dionysus. She pointed a gloved finger towards the clock.

"That clock. It's...talking," she stated in awe.

Dionysus rolled his eyes and the hands of the clock twitched with his face. He crossed his wooden arms over his chest.

"And this clock has a name madame. It's Dionysus. Now you better get going before our master discovers you're here. She doesn't take well to refugees."

Chiron just shook his head no, not allowing a woman to be left alone in the woods during a cold night. He would take care of her until she was ready to leave the next morning. He smiled at the woman and spread his arm out to show that he would take her to the guest bedroom for the night.

"She's going to find out," Dionysus warned.

"I'm going to find out what?"

Dionysus just gave a look towards Chion that said "I told you so." He gave a soft sigh and turned around towards the princess. She was still in her black dress with her headdress and veil concealing her face. Her arms were folded across her chest. Her head was held up high and not looking towards any of them. Chiron silently urged Dionysus to explain what was happening. Dionysus glared and cleared his throat.

"Well, your majesty you see," he stuttered out.

The woman put a hand on Chiron and stepped forward. Both Chiron and Dionysus' eyes widened as they realized what she was going to do.

"Madame," Dionysus tried to warn to stop, but it was too late.

"You must be the master of this beautiful castle," the woman started.

The princess stiffened up at the sound of a new voice and turned her head towards it. Both the servant and the tutor flinched sensing the ice glare coming from the princess.

"How did you get in here?" she demanded.

The woman took a step back sensing the hostility, but kept moving forward in talking with her anyway.

"Well you see, I was attacked by a pack of wolves and stranded in the woods. My horse got startled and ran back the way I came, leaving me alone. I saw your castle in the distance and was hoping you could shelter me for a day before I go back home."

"No one is allowed in or out of my castle," she coldly declared.

Both Chiron and Dionysus shared a nervous look between the two of them. The woman seemed confused as to why the princess was coming off as so hostile.

"But madame, it's too dark and too cold for me to be on my own. Just for the night-"

"NO!" She bellowed.

In her anger the princess yanked back her veil and bonnet to reveal golden snakes hissing on top of her head. Her eyes were pure white, lacking any pupil or irises letting a dead stare out. Around her eyes was scarred flesh that looked like claw marks. It had scarred a light pink but it was gnarled looking. The princess bared her teeth, with her canines looking sharper than humanly possible.

The woman let out a gasp of horror and took a few steps back. Her eyes were wide with fright as the princess took a step closer to her.

"You have trespassed onto my property, which means you will be my prisoner. Bring her to the dungeon!"

With that she slowly started to walk away into the shadows of the castle. Two knights in armor came to life at the order of the princess. They each grabbed an arm and dragged her down to where the dungeon was. Chiron and Dionysus stood solemnly as they heard the poor woman's pleads as she disappeared.

* * *

Percy was woken up by the distressed sounds coming from outside his house. It had only been a day since his mother had left and he had been stressing out about it. He threw himself into work to keep his mind busy, but as the night came and he was left alone with his thoughts, they only reminded him of the unknowns out there.

When he heard the sounds, he bolted out of his cot and ran over to the window. It was pitch black outside so he couldn't see much. He quickly put his boots and wool jacket on before lighting a candle for light.

He walked out of the house holding the candle out in front of him. He heard the sound again, and realized it was coming from a horse. He briskly walked over towards the sound and shown the candle. To his shock and horror it was Blackjack.

The black stallion was very spooked by something. He ran over to his horse and calmed him down. He grabbed the candle to look for any signs of his mother, but found none. The horse had come back alone.

"Blackjack! What the hell happened!" he exclaimed in a panic.

The horse went back up on it's hind legs and started neighing again. Percy calmed his horse back down, and desperately wishing he could speak horse. But he knew that his mother was in trouble somewhere and he had to go save her.

"Stay here," he ordered the horse before running back into his house.

Quickly he grabbed his riding boots and saddle before running back out. He put the saddle on his horse and yanked the reins. Blackjack took off in a speedy gallop through town and into the woods.

The trees towered over Percy and his horse creating shadows everywhere. It had just started to snow, the white stuff glittering under the moonlight that was slowly fading to be replaced by the sun. He had never been in the woods before, hearing stories about dangerous wolves and other animals that could hurt you. But now he would do anything to save his mother from danger.

"Take me to her Blackjack," Percy told.

The stallion seemed to understand Percy's command and started walking on his own accord through the woods.

Percy was terrified. It was hard not to be when all you can think about is how much danger his mother is in. And how long she's been in it for. He figured just over a day, which didn't help ease his anxiety. He found himself looking over his shoulder every few seconds just in case he was attacked.

As the sun rose over the horizon giving light to the forest, he found it to be much less sinister looking, and more picturesque. The snow that had fallen on the trees and floor glittered, blinding him if he looked too long.

Blackjack was still walking on his own accord when something caught Percy's eye. He yanked the reins back on his horse stalling him for a moment. He jumped off and walked over to the object embedded in the snow. As he came closer, he realized what it was.

It was the book he had given to his mother. He picked it up out of the snow wiping the cold stuff off with his bare hand. Some of it had melted on the pages making it very damp and probably damaged by now. But the red cover and gold lettering of the title was still perfect looking.

"She's close," he whispered to himself.

He walked back over to Blackjack and mounted on top of the horse before flicking the reins telling him to go faster. He held the book with one of his hands with a death grip making sure he wouldn't lose it.

Footprints started to become shown in the snow making a trail. Percy followed it knowing that it was his mother's footsteps. After what seemed like forever, a massive dark castle emerged in front of him.

The sight of it was astounding. The baroque architecture made his senses overload. The bricks were dark in color and it gave off an ominous vibe. He got off of Blackjack and slowly led the two of them towards the entrance of the castle.

When he got close to the doors, he tied Blackjack to a nearby tree and told him to stay while he was gone. The doors were cracked open, which seemed suspicious but Percy just wanted his mother back.

The interior was dark as well. Black and maroon was the main color scheme of the hallways. The curtains which were made out of velvet were heavy and soft, letting no sunlight get inside. Cobwebs and dust covered almost every piece of furniture that he came across. Almost as if the castle had been abandoned.

He cautiously made his way around the castle making sure that his footsteps were light and airy. A door that was ajar seemed to call towards him. He walked over, slowly opening it a little more. Behind it was a set of stairs that were dimly lit by torches on the wall. He took one off and used it as his guide as he descended down the stairs.

When he came to the bottom he waved the torch back and forth to see what was down there. Iron bars lined up little caves from the inside. He realized he was walking past dungeons. He kept walking down until he saw a figure inside.

It was a woman in a blue and black dress and she was sleeping on the floor. Percy recognized her as his mother. He ran over with the torch and got down on his knees.

"Mother!" he whispered.

Sally sat up straight and looked towards Percy. When she realized who was there she crawled over and started crying tears of joy. She put her arms through the bars and hugged him as best she could.

"Oh Percy! How did you find me?" she asked in wonder.

"That doesn't matter. Right now we need to get you out of here."

She shook her head in objection at the suggestion. Percy looked at her like she was crazy. She had a sad look on her face.

"Percy, you must leave before she finds you," his mother cryptically warned.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

He was worried over his mother's mental state. How could she not want to be out of here and out of danger? It didn't make any sense to him at all. But her face was deadly serious, as her blue eyes stared into his.

"The beast," she whispered like it was taboo, "she's real, and she lives here."

She gripped the bars harder, her knuckles turning white.

"Percy, you have to leave now before it's too late."

Percy just shook his head not believing what he was hearing. He would never willingly leave his mother alone in a situation like this. She was all he had, and he couldn't lose her.

"I'm not leaving you here! You're the only thing I have!"

"Percy, as your mother I demand you to leave now before she get's you too!" she screamed in desperation.

Tears were starting to fall from her eyes, leaving tear streaks down her grimy and dirty face. Watching his mother cry made him start to feel the prickling behind his eyes as well.

"I can't lose you," he whispered.

The door slammed open from the top of the stairs. The noise startled Percy and his mother as they both looked in that direction. The slow clacking of heels echoed down the corridor. His mother's eyes widened.

"It's too late," she whispered.

At the bottom of the stairs emerged a tall woman dressed in a very beautifully intricate mourning dress. She had a bonnet and veil covering her face from his view. She walked with her head held high and her back straight. In her hand she was balancing a tray of bread and porridge, while the other was touching the wall.

"Where are you?" her voice called out.

It was hard and callous, but very feminine as well. She took a careful step forward down the last stair, before planting both feet on the solid ground. She never took her hand off the wall. He took his eyes off of her for a moment and looked at his mother. She had crawled back away from the bars.

"Speak, or else I'll let you starve."

"Here," his mother squeaked out.

The tall, mourning woman's head whipped around toward the sound. She slowly took a step forward followed by another one. Until she was on the other side of the hallway. She carefully moved the tray from her left hand to her right. She then stretched her left arm until she was touching the metal bars of another cell.

Percy having a feeling she didn't know he was there, took a step away from her quietly. The woman kept moving forward until she reached the cell his mother was in. Slowly she placed the tray down and moved in inside the cell for his mother.

"Eat it," she demanded.

Now that he was closer to the woman, he saw that the dress was put on crookedly. It was also worn and shredded like it had been cut and clawed at. The train that followed behind her was at least seven feet long. That too had cuts in the fabric.

The woman went to turn around and walk away, when she accidentally ran into Percy. She let out a startled shriek of horror that could've burst his eardrums. She backed up against the iron bars.

"Chiron I told you not go to down here!" She screamed.

Percy didn't know who Chiron was, but he wanted to apologize for startling her. He took a step forward towards her with his hands out in front of him.

"I'm not Chiron, I'm sorry for scaring you," he apologized.

The air seemed to shift around suddenly. She got up from against the wall and stood up straight. From behind the veil he could hear a growl, which set his nerves on end.

"Who are you?" she growled out.

"My name is Percy, and I've come to get my mother."

Her chest was heaving up and down showing that she was still recovering from her scare. The woman got in a defensive position suddenly with her gloved hands out in front of her. He noticed that she seemed to have long nails that were sharply pointed inside.

"You can't have her! She trespassed onto my property so I can do what I please with her. Leave now!" she roared.

Realizing that this was the beast his mother was so frightened of, he stood his ground. He wouldn't go down without a fight. He took a step forward towards the woman.

"She is my mother, and you have put her in danger. I'm here to take her back home with me so we can go on with our lives. Please let her go."

"No. I let her go when I want to. I don't cater to the commands of someone who has also _trespassed_ into my castle. I am not above killing you, _Percy_."

At the mention of the word kill, his mother crawled back over, food forgotten and grabbed onto the bars.

"Don't kill him please!" She begged, "Percy, she's letting you have a chance to leave. Take it!"

He looked between his mother and the woman in front of him. He knew what he had to do.

"Take me instead. Let her go free," he negotiated.

As long as his mother was safe from harm, he knew he'd be okay. It was the right thing to do.

"Percy no!" She screamed.

"Deal," the woman agreed.

She turned towards the doorway.

"Guards!" She yelled.

The clanking of metal walking down the stairwell was enough for Percy to indicate that he was getting locked up. Two of the metal knight suits that he saw while walking by came down with their spears in place ready to take orders.

"Let the woman go. And then take this man to his room and lock him in."

With that she slowly made her way back up the stairs with her left hand against the wall and disappeared from sight.

One knight opened up the door and dragged his mother by the arm out of the cell. She was crying at this point.

"I'm sorry mom," he apologized.

She wiped her eyes and gave a smile towards Percy. He knew that she had already forgiven him.

"I'll come back for you. I swear it," she declared being brought out of sight by the first guard.

The other then roughly grabbed Percy by the arm and dragged him up the stairs and into the first floor of the castle. The door behind him seemed to magically slam shut and he was dragged into another flight of stairs that led to the second floor. The guard brought him to two doors and opened up the one on the right and pushed him in before locking the door from the outside.

* * *

 _Twenty-three...twenty-four...twenty-five….twenty-six….twenty-seven….twenty-eight._

She gently picked up the last fallen petal off from the table and placed it into the metal cup that sat beside her. With a sigh she leaned down against the table and put her head in between her arms.

That was three more petals than yesterday, she solemnly thought.

As the days progressed more petals were falling off the enchanted rose. Meaning that it was closer and closer to her failing to break her curse. Every day she seemed to get more desperate to find someone who will "melt her heart of ice". But her pride wouldn't let her give anyone she knew a chance.

She was alone in the West Wing, meaning she didn't have to hide her face underneath her bonnet and veil. She slowly reached up and removed it from her head placing it in her lap. The soft hissing of snakes filled her eardrums. She always wondered what she looked like, how beastly she really was on the outside.

One by one she took off her gloves that she wore to sheathe her claws and ran her hands over each other. She lifted up one hand to touch all the scars she had in a bout of insanity caused herself. They were gnarled and raised up ones that she could feel, only to remind her of her curse.

"Your majesty," a soft voice came from in front of her.

Startled by the sudden appearance of someone, she quickly covered her face with her hands in an attempt to hide her beastly form. She knew it was just Ms. Hestia, one of the kinder servants she had.

"What do you want?" she asked softly underneath her hands.

She could practically feel the pity coming off in waves from the older woman. It didn't help sooth her bad mood.

"It is almost time for dinner. I suggest that you invite the young man you locked up to join you."

She lifted her head up staring at nothing but the blackness. She could hear Ms. Hestia was somewhere near her, but she couldn't pinpoint where.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if you're going to hold him prisoner, you might as well treat him with respect."

She slammed her fists down on the table shaking it. She stood up in anger and pushed the chair down to the floor.

"He doesn't deserve that type of respect from me! He came into my home, scared me and demanded that I let his mother go free! The nerve of him!" she exclaimed.

"I say just give him a chance. Who knows, maybe he's the one," her voice was much far away this time indicating she was towards the door.

She didn't want to get her hopes up. There was a reason why she agreed so easily for the exchange of the woman for her son. She just wasn't sure why exactly she did it. The idea that he could be the one planted itself inside her brain, but she quickly yanked it out before it could grow into anything. But she would invite him to dinner.

Quickly, she put her bonnet and veil back over her face. She moved away from the table, making sure she maneuvered away from it by feeling the curve with her hands. She hated walking without something to constantly feel. It left completely vulnerable and scared. Slowly she took one step at a time keeping her hands out in front of her.

No matter how much time she had to adjust, she never did. Being blind made her felt even more alone and abandoned than she had before. With all her servants cursed to be objects, minus Chiron, she never had any idea whether what she was picking up was a regular object or a servant who hated her. She couldn't keep tabs on them, making sure they did everything to her liking. She wasn't even sure how many servants she had left in the castle. She was certain that many of them left her as soon as they got the chance to. Probably stole some things as well. And it made her so angry and frustrated that she didn't even know for sure. She hated not knowing things more than anything in the world.

When she made it to the door knob, she swung it open and took a few steps with her hands out in front of her. She knew she was on the balcony on the second floor, but she didn't know where her guards had placed her new prisoner.

"Someone tell me where my prisoner is!" She yelled her voice echoing through the castle.

There was silence within the castle, with the occasional rustling of one of her servants ignoring her. She let out a growl of anger and frustration and slammed her palms on the beam she was holding steady on.

"I demand one of you to tell me, or so help me God I will have you destroyed," she threatened

The threat was an empty one because she knew she was helpless to do anything against her vile servants. But she hoped it would scare them enough into helping her find her way through the castle. After a few more moments of quiet, she dug her sharp claws into the wood and dragged them across making a sharp noise.

"Fine, I'll find him myself," she muttered to herself.

Turning to her right she started descending down the grand staircase that led to the first floor. She figured if she could somehow make her way towards the East Wing, where her guestrooms were that would be a good starting out point.

She only tripped ten times over items that were in her way. Whenever she came across one, she would kick it out of her way, most of the time breaking whatever it was. She knew that when her parents were around, the servants were never this messy and irresponsible. She had a feeling it was done purposely. And it only made her more irritable. It really was a vicious cycle.

"This better be the right place," she whispered.

She felt the doorknob and then knocked on the door loudly. For a few moments it was silent on the other side. She was afraid she was knocking on a storage closet of something instead.

"What do you want?" a deep voice came from the other side.

She let out a breath of relief she didn't even know she was holding. The next words she wanted to say seemed to get stuck in her throat. Her hubris was rearing it's front end not letting her speak. Finally she let out a low growl.

"Would you like to come down for dinner?" she growled out.

Once the words were out, it didn't make her feel any better. In fact it made her feel more vulnerable, and that was something she didn't want to feel. Her patience was already running thin, waiting for an answer.

"No," was the curt response she got.

"No? What do you mean no? You will come down for dinner!" She demanded.

She heard a slight scoff come from the other side. She bared her teeth even though he couldn't see them. She was offended that he would refuse her generous offer to come to dinner. She never was this hospitable to uninvited guests!

"It was an invitation, and I decline it. I wouldn't want to eat with you anyway. I'd rather starve!" he said in a snarky voice.

She slammed her fists into the door causing a loud BOOM! The force of the hit hurt her hands a little, but she would never admit to that.

"FINE! STARVE THEN FOR ALL I CARE!" She bellowed.

"FINE!" he shouted back.

She stormed back the way she came. She had no idea if any servants were close by, but she was going to call on one.

"DIONYSUS! I expect my dinner to be in my room in ten minutes!" She called out into the darkness.

She heard a soft "yes madame" in response.

* * *

Sally probably looked like a mad women when she came back into town on her son's horse. She had no time to clean up after she got thrown out of the castle...literally. Those guards had the nerve to shove her out into the cold snow.

Her only nice dress was torn and shredded beyond repair, which made her incredibly sad. And she never got a chance to share her amazing recipes at the fair she had been looking forward to for years. It only came by once in a blue moon, and she had missed it.

Instead she got locked up by a crazy Medusa looking princess, and lost her son to her in the process. But she was determined to get him back, no matter the cost. And she had an idea, even if she knew Percy would hate her for it.

As Blackjack trotted through village, all the townsfolk gasped and stared at Sally. She felt awkward under all the scrutiny, but still gave smiles to all the people she knew. Eventually she hopped off the horse, and was just walking side by side with him.

"Sally! My goodness what happened to you?" Mrs. Quinn, the librarian cried out.

Sally enjoyed the company of the older woman, but she was also such a gossip which got old very fast. She just gave the woman a tired smile.

"It's a long story," was all she said in response.

She didn't want information on what happened to Percy and herself to float around just yet. She needed to speak to the right person first before news got out.

"Is Atlas in town?" she asked.

The pudgy older woman nodded her head yes. "Just got in this morning, why?"

Mrs. Quinn was too nosy for her own good, Sally thought before walking away without another word.

Sally walked up the big cobblestone hill that the Lachance mansion was located on. She quietly tied Blackjack to a tree and asked him politely to stay put for her. She was not in the mood for her son's horse to run away on her. Thankfully, the stallion seemed to understand her.

She had only been the Lachance household once before, and that was only to deliver some cookies. Atlas seemed to have a liking for her, as his daughter had for Percy. But she was not interested in any relationship. Especially with a man like him. But she would have to up the charm to get what she needed this one time.

She grabbed the globe knockers and hit it on the mahogany door three times and waited. A few moments passed before the door opened up a little bit to reveal a servant's face. She narrowed her eyes at Sally.

"How can I help you today?" she questioned.

"I need to talk to Atlas please," she softly asked.

The servant looked at her like she was crazy. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows rose up on her forehead. Her mouth was open a little like she was trying to decide if slamming the door in her face was worth it or not.

"Tell him it's Sally Jackson, please," she said a little more forcefully.

The woman pursed her lips together and looked at Sally up and down one more time. She looked her in the eyes.

"Wait here for a moment please," she said before shutting the door again.

Sally let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. It was a very unladylike gesture to be standing like this, but she didn't care at that moment. All she cared about was getting her son back to safety and away from that beast.

The door opened up again this time with a towering and very muscular man. He was in a very nice tailored suit. His black hair was combed back and put in a neat ponytail at the bottom. His stormy blue eyes seemed to brighten a little when he saw Sally.

"Oh Ms. Jackson what a pleasure it is. What can I help you with today?" he cheerfully asked.

"I have a proposition for you," she stated.

* * *

Turns out the wardrobe that was in his room was enchanted. And she talked non stop about his fashion choices. Madame Amore, as she demanded to addressed by, made sure that he was dressed in far better clothing than he showed up with.

"Now just because you're a prisoner by my master, doesn't mean you can dress like one. I'll get you new clothes!" she squealed with delight.

Percy figured this was some part of his punishment, because he would probably go insane if he had to listen to her talk all the time. But he let her dress him, because he knew she wouldn't stop until she did.

He also quickly figured out that she was a gossip. She talked about her days as an opera singer, before she got changed into the what she called hideous wardrobe. She complained that it ruined her figure she worked so hard for, not that he cared that much, if at all. But he also realized that if she was a gossip, then she would probably tell him about the mysterious master that had locked him up.

"Has your master always been this angry?" he wondered as he lied down on the bed looking up at the ceiling.

"Oh, sweetheart you don't know the start of it. She's always been like this, but the curse just made it _so_ much worse," she drawled.

He lifted his head up and looked towards Madame Amore with a curious glance.

"The curse that turned her into a beast?" he questioned.

She just gave him a look. If she could put her hands on her hips, Percy was sure she was doing that to him.

"Oh, do not say that in front of her. She hates the B word. But yes, she has been cursed with blindness."

"That's what makes her a beast? Being blind?" he asked with a disbelieving tone.

"It's not just being blind, there's other stuff as well. But that is not my place to share. If she ever found out I told you anything, I'll be splinters by next week!"

Well, so much for that plan, he thought to himself as he slammed his back down on the bed.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. He groaned in annoyance as he thought it was the woman again forcefully offering him something. He got up out of the bed and was about to snap, when the door creaked open. Through the crack emerged a man, who had a beard and a kind smile, as well as a clock which looked like he had too much to drink.

"Sorry to disturb you, but would you like dinner now?" the clock asked in a monotone voice.

The older man gave a small smile in return before glaring at the clock who rolled his eyes. The clock folded his arms across his clear chest. He gave out a sigh.

"We heard our master yelling and felt bad. At least, Chiron over here felt bad. He can't speak so I guess I'm talking for him. This is his offer, not mine," he said defensively.

The man, Chiron just gave a look towards his companion with a knowing smile before opening the door up a little more and spreading his hand out as an invitation to go out. Percy wasn't really sure he wanted to leave the room, but he could hear and feel his stomach yelling at him to just go.

"Go out there and show off your new outfit I gave you!" Madame Amore said.

Chiron gave a silent chuckle at the wardrobe before extending his offer again. Percy looked between the two enchanted, talking household objects and the man who couldn't talk. He figured his day couldn't get any worse, or more weird so he stepped out of the room.

Chiron and Dionysus led the way down the hallway and another set of stairs that led to the first floor of the castle. Percy noticed that there was a lot of scratches on the wall, and the wooden railings of the balconies and stairs. Curtains which were beautiful had long ones reaching from the top and dragging all the way down to the floor. There was a lot of shattered glass that had been swept up into piles against the walls. It was like the servants just did the bare minimum of their jobs.

Finally they approached a dining room with a big banquet table in the center. The room was far nicer and less dark looking than any he'd seen so far. It was lit by torches on either side giving it a warm glow. Candlesticks were lit all the way down the table, which had a beautiful white and gold tablecloth draped over it.

Chiron went over and pulled out a chair that was at the head of the table for him to sit at. Percy sat down on the cushioned chair and was amazed at how comfortable it was. All he had back at home was wooden stools. There was nothing to help his back at home. Chiron gently pushed his chair in for him.

"Your food will be right out," Dionysus said before walking away with Chiron.

Percy started looking around again to try and ease his boredom at being alone. He was grateful that the servants were taking a liking to him, more than their master.

Whose name I still don't know, he mulled to himself.

When he turned to face the table again, he was startled by a face that was right in front of him. He let out a scream of fright. A candlestick cracked up and fell to the table laughing at his misfortune.

"Oh how I got you good!" he exclaimed.

Another candlestick came hopping up next to the one laughing. This one had a small smile, but rolled their eyes.

"Leo you have to stop scaring people. They don't like it," he calmly said.

Leo the candlestick, seemed to wipe an invisible tear from his eye and stood back up. He put his arms on his hips (or, where they should've been). He gave a crooked smile, which made Percy think he was a troublemaker.

"Don't listen to Will here. I didn't mean to scare you, but it was great that I did!"

"How many enchanted objects are there in this place?" Was the only question Percy could think of.

Leo crossed his arms and the wax on his face rose up like he was arching an eyebrow at Percy.

"A lot. So you should probably get used to it, because I think the master is going to be keeping you here for a while."

"That means we should probably introduce ourselves, properly," Will, the calmer candlestick said.

He pointed to himself and gave a nice smile. He had bright blue eyes, which Percy found a little hard to look at, especially since it was on a candlestick.

"My name is Will and this here is-"

"Leo Valdez, flame extraordinaire," he cut off.

He lit both his candles on fire on his hands, and when he realized the one on top of his head wasn't lit, he scrunched his nose and it too went on fire. He spread his arms out like it was the greatest magic trick ever.

Leo hopped over and put his hand up to his mouth.

"This is the part where you introduce yourself to us too," he loudly whispered.

"Oh," Percy said.

He didn't even think to introduce himself to the two candlesticks. In fact the only person he's introduced himself to was...the master. He shook his head from his thoughts and gave a small smile to the two candlesticks.

"My name is Percy Jackson."

He almost went to put his hand out to shake, but he realized that candlesticks don't have hands. And their wicks were on fire, which he didn't want to touch. Instead he kept them both in his lap.

"Well Percy Jackson, welcome to our castle," Will said with a smile.

"We're your entertainment for tonight," Leo finished.

That comment caused Will to smack Leo in the head which got a big protest. Leo rubbed the back of his head with a mild glare towards Will.

"We aren't entertainment Leo. We were just making light conversation until his food was ready. Plus he looked bored out of his mind."

Suddenly the back doors burst open with trays of food that were being pushed by Chiron. The waft and smell of it hit Percy and he almost started to drool right on the spot. It looked and smelled delightful.

"Okay you two get out of here!" an woman's voice called out.

"But Hazel!" Leo protested.

"No buts from you Mr. Valdez. Leave us to serve our guest," an older woman's voice came.

"Fine, we'll just stand on the table and light it for him," Leo mumbled before going down the table, Will in tow and standing still.

Two teapots jumped off the tray and landed in front of him. One was dark green in color, with gold and white vines and flowers decorating her. She had beautiful light green eyes and a kind smile. The other was white in color, with splashes of red, blues, greens and golds sparkling. She had golden eyes, and seemed much younger than the green one.

"Good evening sir. My name is Ms. Demeter and this is my apprentice Ms. Levesque. We hope you enjoy your dinner we made for you today."

"It is very much appreciated. Thank you," Percy said with a smile.

Food was then passed around to him, and there was so much he wasn't sure he would be able to put a dent in it. It seemed that there was three courses for him to eat. Not sure what he wanted to have, he decided to take a sample of everything and pile it onto his plate. He had never seen so much food in his entire life!

Once he put the first bite of food into his mouth, he was sure his knees would've buckled had he been standing up. He started eating faster and faster trying to savor all the flavors that were exploding in his mouth.

"Be careful sir, if you eat too fast you'll just throw it back up," Ms. Levesque warned.

Percy felt his face become very hot suddenly, and he was sure he was blushing from embarrassment. He swallowed his food before giving a sheepish smile in return before going back to _slowly_ eating.

When he was done, he placed his knife and fork down on his plate and wiped his mouth with the cloth he was given with. He stretched his arms over his head and slouched back into the comfortable chair.

"That was the most amazing meal I've ever had. Do you think you could share your recipes with me? My mother and I own a bakery in our village and I'm sure we'd love to have them."

Both teapots seemed to brighten at the mention of a bakery. They hopped over to where he was sitting.

"You own a bakery?" Ms. Levesque asked.

"Does that mean you can bake?" Ms. Demeter added on.

Percy just nodded yes and both of them looked at each other with happy expressions written on their faces.

"Oh that's amazing. You know, we've been hoping that help would be coming our way, because you know, it's very hard to bake when you're a teapot. But you could help us! And we'll share all our recipes for you to have," Ms. Demeter said.

The idea of actually doing something, instead of being cooped up in a bedroom all day sounded amazing. He might as well take advantage of being held hostage in a castle in the middle of the forest. But then he realized, everything had to be approved by the master. And his face fell.

"I'd love to, but should you get approval from your master right?" he asked.

"Don't worry about her. She wouldn't be able to tell anyway," Leo shouted down from the other side of the table.

Ms. Levesque jumped and turned around towards the candlestick.

"That is very rude to say of her Leo," she chastised before turning back around, "but it's true. She wouldn't know the difference anyway."

"Plus, she has a sweet tooth," Ms. Demeter shared like it was a secret.

Percy was still a little hesitant, because he'd seen the way his mother had been scared out of her wits by her. Anyone who was able to frighten his mother, should be someone to be afraid of. But thanks to Madame Amore's big mouth, he learned that she was completely blind. She couldn't see anything. Which made it much easier to sneak around.

"Okay I'll do it."

Both teapots started jumping up and down to show their happiness. He was sure if they had hands, they'd be clapping those instead. Chiron had already cleaned up all the dishes and put them away in the back room. He bent down with his palms out, where the two teapots jumped into them.

"Well Mr. Jackson, we look forward to working with you tomorrow! Enjoy the rest of your night!" Ms. Demeter said in farewell before being walked back to the back room.

Chiron and Dionysus came out a few moments later. Leo and Will had joined the group.

"It seems the night is still young, would you care for a tour around the castle?" Will asked.

Percy stood up from his comfortable chair and pushed it back in towards the table. He stretched his arms over his head once again before nodding in agreement.

Chiron nodded his head and took Leo and Will by their bodies. He gave Leo to Percy to hold as a source of light.

"Now you better be careful holding me alright? I don't want to be manhandled," Leo warned.

"Uh, okay?" Percy said not sure how to properly respond to that.

They showed him the kitchen first, which was so big it had Percy in awe. There were so many stoves and ovens that he could make a million pastries at once. The dishes seemed to be cleaning themselves up in the sink, which Percy would've found weird, but he was getting used to the enchanted objects.

The grand ballroom where the late King and Queen used to hold balls for all the kingdom to dance in was beautiful. It was gold in color, with a magnificent mural that was painted on the ceiling. It was something that looked like it came right from the Renaissance. The biggest chandelier hung from the ceiling, glittering with diamonds and jewels of all kind that Percy couldn't even dream of touching. It seemed so out of place in a castle that was so dark and ruinous looking.

"The doors to this place have been shut, ever since the King and Queen died," Leo informed.

"It had such beautiful memories as well," Will sighed.

Percy looked over at Chiron who seemed to be close to tears. Obviously this place was very special to him. They quickly left after.

Most of the time they didn't go into any room, just stopped by the door that held whatever was inside and kept moving forward.

"The only places you are forbidden from going into are the library and the West Wing," Dionysus informed.

"Why is that?" he questioned.

"The library is a sacred place to our master. She refuses to go inside, and the doors have been sealed shut. Only Chiron has access because he just brings the new books we get there and leaves. As for the West Wing, you just really don't want to go there. For your own sake," Will informed.

Percy wondered what could be inside the West Wing that made it forbidden. He would just have to take a look for himself.

"Well, if she can't see me anyway, what's the harm of going to the West Wing?" he asked.

He started to make his way up the staircase that led over to the West Wing. Leo started to struggle to get out of his grip, but Percy just squeezed tighter. As he ascended, Chiron and Dionysus had stopped climbing the stairs as well. They both had warning looks on their faces.

"Seriously, let me go. Just because you're looking for trouble doesn't mean I am!"

Leo finally set one of his small flames onto Percy's skin causing him to hiss in pain and let him go. He glared at the candlestick who seemed to shrug his shoulders and hop down the stairs where the rest of his newfound friends were.

He looked down at them again, before he steeled his nerves and kept walking on. Now he had no light to help him see where he was going. The doors were wide open, and they looked like they had seen better days.

When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the outlines of curtains that had once hung on windows thrown and shredded on top of furniture, creating a sort of ominous canopy.

On a wall was a big oil painted portrait of a beautiful woman with blonde hair curled like a princess. She had a soft smile on her face, and her gray eyes were stunning to look at. Her tan skin showed that she often was out in the sunlight. Her back was up straight and her chin was held high. But what ruined the portrait was the three marks that had ripped the oil painting across the eyes, the chest and the neck of the woman.

To the left of the painting, was a big photograph. Percy had only seen them once or twice in his life, as they were much too expensive to have done for people like him. It was dusty and dull in color from the years. But it was a portrait of a family.

The father was standing tall with a big smile on his face. His hair was a little shaggy, and his glasses made him look rather silly. But his attire showed that he was wealthy. He had a sash around his left shoulder and going across his chest. Many medallions decorated his suit and sash. The crown that he worn on his head was slightly crooked.

The mother stood to the right of the man. She was almost as tall as the man. She had on a very beautiful and intricate dress that went off both her shoulders and trained behind her a few feet. Her hair was perfectly curled and pinned back out of her face. The only piece of jewelry she wore was a necklace that plummeted down right before her breasts with a circular shaped stone. In her black hair was a beautiful tiara that arched high above her head and had beautiful designs that looked almost Grecian. She had a stone face, making her look very serious and collected.

Both parents had one hand on the shoulder of a young girl. She couldn't have been older than seven years old. Her light hair was pulled back in an elegant hairstyle, with only a few stray curls coming down to frame her face. Just like her mother, she had no smile on her face and looked very elegant. Her dress was covering her neck and arms and it poofed out towards her legs. She was wearing white stockings and black shoes. She had a little tiara placed on her head as well.

After looking at the picture, Percy realized who it was he was looking at. He looked between the old photograph and the oil painting and realized the little girl was the same older woman in the painting.

That was a family photo of the royal family. The father was King Frederick, the mother was Queen Athena, and the child was...Princess Annabeth.

He found himself staring at the oil painting of the princess. She was so much more beautiful than he ever imagined her to be. He knew that princesses were supposed to be beautiful, but she just took his breath away.

Finally he turned around and saw a glow. It gave off a pinkish hue which seemed to draw him like a moth to a light. It was the only thing that wasn't dark in the room. He carefully tip toed his way across the floor coming closer.

When he was able to see what it was, he discovered it was a rose. It was inside a glass case, floating in the air and glittering. He watched as a petal fell off the rose slowly and gently floated to the surface of the table.

Percy saw that there was a little ceramic bowl next to the glass case, filled with rose petals that no longer had the glittering luster of the ones on the rose. They were dark, and withered. He looked towards the most recent one that fell, and right before his eyes he saw it seem to die. It went from pink to red, and slowly dried up and cracked.

He went to pick up the glass case and place the newly fallen rose petal with the others.

"Is this what makes this room so forbidden?" he asked himself.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice came from the shadows startling him.

In his surprise he took a step back and knocked into the table holding the rose. He heard something fall off and shatter next to his feet. He flinched at the sound and jumped back. A figure he recognized as the princess came surging forward with her hands in front of her. She felt the table and when he realized the glass case to the rose had fallen off and shattered into pieces he knew he was in trouble.

She patted the air trying to find the glass case, and found the rose fallen to the surface of the table instead.

"What have you done!" She screamed.

In the darkness of the room, she seemed more scary than when she was in the dungeons. She blindly stormed towards him, throwing anything that was in her way and growling in frustration. The rose had wilted in her hand, but was still glowing with the petals on the flower.

He stumbled backwards trying to get away from her. He held his hands out in a pacifying way.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious," he apologized hastily.

"I don't care for your apologies! I let you live, and let your mother go and this is what you do in return? Who brought you up here?" She demanded.

"No one, I did it myself."

"You ruined my only chance to get rid of my curse," she growled at him.

She lifted the flower up as if to show him the horrors of his deed. He was sorry he broke the glass case, but her curse didn't seem so terrible.

"Being blind is nothing to be ashamed of," he tried to reason.

The princess squeezed her fist so tight he heard her knuckles crack under the pressure. She let out a growl that seemed more feral than human. Percy's nerves went on end, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight.

"Do not assume stuff that you don't know anything about. You think my only curse is to be blind do you?"

With her free hand she yanked off her bonnet and veil and threw it behind her. From underneath came yellow snakes that hissed and slithered through each other on her head. Her face, which once had beautiful gray eyes, was now just white. No pupil or irises to be found. Around her eyes was scarred skin and tissue that was pink and raised. It was messy and gnarled, like something had tried to claw her eyes out. She bared her teeth at him showing her pointed canines that could easily puncture and kill.

"Look at what that damn witch Hera did to me! Now you will leave my castle for good, or I'll kill you first!" she threatened.

Percy felt fear finally trickle into his veins. He realized now why his mother was so terrified of her. He quickly turned around and ran away from the princess hoping that she wouldn't chase after him. He heard some stumbling coming from behind him, as she made her way through the West Wing. He sprinted down the stairs and ran down the hallway towards the doors he had come into.

He ran past all the servants he had befriended in his short time of staying at the castle, they all had solemn looks on their faces. He looked behind him to see the princess standing at the top of the stairs.

"AND STAY OUT!" she roared.

* * *

She could hear and feel the nippy air coming from the doors. She was still standing at the top of her stairs, not allowing herself to try and go down the flight. She wondered how much he had seen, how long he had been there. It made her so frustrated that she couldn't tell, she felt tears starting to prick behind her eyes. She was getting tired of the same old game that she couldn't play in.

To her right she heard the soft clanking of a either a teapot or a candlestick hopping up the stairs towards her. She had no doubt it was either Ms. Demeter or Will, some of the only servants who seemed to have just a little bit of respect towards her.

"Your majesty," a soft voice came from the ground.

She turned her head towards the sound of the voice. Her hands were still gripping the railing tightly. For the first time in years, she felt...guilty. The familiar pricking of thorns was digging into her skin, but she didn't even care anymore. The curse, the weight of it seemed to finally be bearing down on her shoulders.

"Yes?" she softly asked, too tired to yell.

"You should really go out there and retrieve him before he's too lost in the woods. There are many dangerous predators out there that could leave him in danger," Will suggested.

She looked back up into the darkness away from the ground. She held her head up high and turned it to the left looking away from where Will was coming from.

"Why should I?" she questioned.

"Because it's the right thing to do. And we both know he could be the one. There isn't much time left your majesty" he whispered.

She wasn't sure if Will had left her already, but her grip on the railing had loosened. She took a deep breath trying to calm her inner turmoil. It took her several tries to open her mouth and get words out.

"Can you get my cloak and Chiron please?" she asked.

"Of course your majesty."

When she was sure he was gone, she let out a sigh and covered her eyes with her hands. She felt tears coming down her face and she silently wept. What for, she wasn't even sure. Maybe it was finally coming to terms with her fate, and how she had single handedly ruined it. Maybe it was because she finally was crying for her parents after so many years. Maybe she was crying because she had never felt so alone in her entire life. And that was what she was most afraid of.

She heard the familiar three knocks, which meant Chiron was next to her. It was their secret code that they had developed when she first was cursed. She immediately wiped her eyes and sniffled trying to stop any signs that she had ever been weak.

"Chiron, please help me find Percy."

He helped fasten her cloak around her neck and gently grabbed her arm and linked it with his so they could walk together. She loved Chiron, he was the real father figure to her all these years. Her parents had been distant to her, only speaking the bare minimum they had to. All she was to them was a way to form an alliance with a local royal and continue on their royal bloodline.

He had taught her everything he knew. He taught her how to read and write and do mathematics, and how to do star gazing and find all the constellations. He even taught her how to fight with a dagger. He was the only one who tried to help her find her bearings when she lost her sight. And even though her pride stamped its feet and always won inside her head, he still helped her in the slightest of ways.

The two of them walked out into the cold night. She couldn't see anything, but she felt the cold air nipping at her skin, causing it to grow hot before going numb. She felt the pellets of snow falling from the sky. The wind was whipping her cloak backwards making her grip it tighter by her neck to keep it from blowing away.

Chiron still had his arm linked around hers, gently guiding her through the woods. He was also an amazing tracker, so she had faith that he would lead them where they needed to be.

"Help!" a voice cried out in the distance.

She knew that it was Percy immediately. Both Chiron and her started to run, with her being tugged by her mentor. She suddenly stopped and ran into Chiron and the two of them stumbled. She couldn't see anything, but she heard the sounds of growling. There were wolves near them.

She could hear the whacking of a branch hitting a wolf who yelped in surprise and hurt before another one would howl and attack. Quickly she grabbed her dagger which she always hid underneath her dress and started running towards the sounds of battle.

Knowing that she still looked monstrous as she lost her bonnet and veil, she used that to her advantage. She growled and her snakes hissed loudly. She could hear some wolves retreat and whimper at the sight of her, but others still growled.

"Princess Annabeth! What are you doing?" Percy asked in disbelief.

"I'm about to save your life!"

"You're blind!" he screamed.

"So what?" she yelled back before she swiped at a wolf with her dagger.

Years of training under Chiron didn't go away the instant she became blind. She still had her hearing, and her sense of touch which she was just more in tune with. She could hear the growls of the wolves and could calculate where they were coming from, and when to swipe at them. She just couldn't guarantee a deadly blow.

She heard Percy yelling bad insults to the wolves while swinging what sounded like a tree branch, because of the snapping sound it made when it made contact. She hadn't felt this alive in years!

"Look out!"

She turned towards the sound of his voice only to have searing pain erupted from her shoulder. Quickly she whipped around and stabbed blindly at the wolf that had attacked her, when it made a feral cry she knew it was dead. After the adrenaline stopped pumping she fell to the floor in pain.

She heard the crunch of the snow from footsteps. She felt the running of her blood going down her back and seeping into her dress making it sticky. There was so much coming out of the wound she could smell the metallic scent of it making her feel woozy.

She felt arms pick her up bridal style, and she immediately started to protest it.

"Put me down this instant!" she weakly demanded.

A laugh came from Percy, but it seemed to be sarcastic.

"No way princess, not when you're bleeding out this badly. We need to get you home so we can help you not die."

He had a fair point. Not that she'd ever admit it to him at least.

* * *

The two of them sat alone in a little living room area. It was a cozy looking room in the castle, one that he had not been in during his tour. There was a fireplace that extended all the way to the ceiling of the room. Leo and Will had lit the fire, and now there was a dim lighting, as well as keeping the two of them warm after being in the cold for so long.

Percy was thankful his mother had taught him first aid skills when he was little. She had always warned him that he might need them someday to save someone's life. He didn't really think his first time would be with a very scary princess who turned into a gorgon.

"I need you to take off the top part of your dress," Percy told the princess.

Her back was to him because that's where her injury was. The cloth of the dress where the claws of the wolf had dug into was cut right open, through all her layers exposing her skin. She turned around showing off her profile of her face. She seemed scandalized that he would suggest such a thing.

"Take my dress off?" she asked.

Percy bit back a sigh of annoyance. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"Yes, princess. Your dress, it must come off if I'm going to help you."

"I can't allow you to see me undress, that is not proper at all," she stated turning her head back and up.

"I don't care if it's proper or not. This is a matter of helping you not lose enough blood to make you die," he said through gritted teeth.

"I won't do it," she insisted.

He grabbed the sewing kit he was going to use to stitch up her wounds, and grabbed the pair of scissors. He snipped them just as a test and also to make sure that the princess knew what was about to happen. She stiffened up at the sound and he heard her take a sharp breath in.

"Don't you dare cut this dress!"

"It's ruined anyway," he retorted before cutting the fabric off her body so he could start stitching her up.

Piece by piece it opened up for him and soon he was done. He grabbed a washcloth out of the warm water provided for him and rung it out.

"I'm going to clean your wound, don't lash out please."

"I can't promise anything."

He let out a small chuckle before beginning to dab at the cuts. They were pretty nasty looking, going from her shoulder blade all the way down by her waist. He had to cut off her corset so he could get to it. She hissed in pain every time he touched it, but she wouldn't let out a scream. He was impressed with her tolerance of pain. He would admit, he would be biting on a towel screaming his head off.

After he had finished cleaning the wound, he took some alcohol to sterilize for infection. Once he put that on that's where she let out a scream of pain. She also then growled at him, baring her sharp teeth. Her snakes also seemed to hiss louder than usual. He pretended to not be intimidated by that.

"Okay, I'm going to numb you with some ice so you won't feel the stitches. Don't be startled by the cold okay?"

"Fine."

He gently placed the ice wrapped in a tablecloth on her wound, holding it there for a few minutes making sure it was numb. He moved it all over it making sure that he got every inch of the wound. He was going to be doing a lot of stitches.

Chiron came over from the fire with a sterilized needle and thread attached to it. He gave a nod to Percy who then took a deep breath. Chiron handed the princess a cloth to bite down on and when she did he began stitching her up.

The princess kept let out growls of pain through clenched teeth and cloth every time he stuck the needle through skin. It wasn't a pretty sight for him to see either, in fact it took all his strength not to close his eyes every time he did a stitch.

It took him almost an hour to stitch all her wounds up. There were three parallel lacerations going down her back. The one all the way on the left required forty stitches. The middle had fifty six. And the one on the right was forty three.

When he tied the last stitch up, the princess immediately took the cloth out of her mouth and threw it on the ground. Chiron quietly picked it up to dispose of it.

"Thank you for saving my life out there," Percy suddenly said.

It was quiet between the two of them for a few moments. The only sounds that could be heard was the crackling of embers coming from the fireplace. The princess carefully maneuvered her body so that she was no longer not facing him. She sat like someone would normally sit on a couch, her dead gaze staring straight ahead.

"You're welcome," she whispered.

She turned her head to face him, her white eyes seeming to stare right into his own. Percy noticed that Chiron had left the room and hadn't returned.

"And you saved mine as well. I thank you for it."

Percy just shrugged, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to see it. He also started rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous tick he had.

"Well, I wasn't going to leave you to bleed out. That's not the right thing to do," he explained.

"Even after the way I acted towards you?" she questioned. Her eyebrows scrunched together as if she was curious as to why he would be so nice to her.

"Yes, because even though you did scare the shit out of me a few times, you did also give my mother and I mercy when you didn't have to."

She gave a curt nod in recognition. Percy saw that she was fiddling with her gloved hands, and her foot was thumping rapidly up and down. She had turned her face away to look straight ahead towards the fire. After a few moments she then turned back around so that her torso was facing him. She was biting her lip, almost as if she was nervous about something.

"Your name is Percy right?" she asked suddenly.

Percy was surprised by the sudden question, but he nodded yes. When he realized that she was still waiting for her answer, he nearly smacked himself in the face for being so dumb.

"Yes my name is Percy."

"Where are you from Percy?"

"The village of New Yorktown," he answered.

He wasn't sure why she started asking all these questions, but he found himself not being against it. He actually liked talking to her as if she was just a normal human.

"That's quite a journey out east from here," she replied.

The way she said that statement, it conveyed a lot of emotion. She spoke of it softly, and she hesitated before saying it. Almost as if she realized how far his mother and himself were from their home, and how long of a journey it would be to get back.

Percy let out a sigh, filling up the empty silence between the two of them. He felt the elephant in the room, and from the way the princess was fidgeting with her hands and feet, he could tell she felt it too.

"You know, no one new has come into my castle since the funeral of my parents," she started.

He remembered that pretty well. He was only sixteen at the time, but he recalled seeing all the royal carriages going through his town towards the Castle that he didn't know where it was. It was a big deal that the King and Queen had died in the kingdom. Everyone in his village had worn mourning clothes for weeks after. And after the princess locked herself away, never to be seen again, it left his village confused and lost. There was no new ruler of the kingdom, and for a year or so there was no order. But everyone soon realized that nothing was going to change, and kept moving forward in their daily lives.

"And the last face I saw was the person who cursed me with no sight," she continued.

"You mean Queen Hera?" he wondered.

She tilted her head to the side, which reminded Percy of a puppy. The very thought made him want to laugh, but he restrained himself.

"Yes. How did you know that?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and scratched the bridge of his nose.

"Well in your rage of anger, you declared that someone named Hera cursed you, so I quickly put two and two together," he explained.

"Oh."

She looked taken back by the fact that she had let information like that out of her mouth. Her eyebrows were scrunched up and her lips were pursed together, like she was annoyed with herself.

"Well, I was wondering if…" she started before trailing off.

Curious as to what she was going to ask, he nudged her on to continue. She crossed her arms over her chest, and was making a pout which made her seem much more young and human that before. It was actually kind of cute.

"If what?"

"If you could describe what you look like to me," she stuttered out.

She let out a huff of breath like asking for that was the hardest thing she's ever had to do. After processing what she asked of him, a big smile formed on his face. At that same moment she stood up from the seat she was sitting in wincing in pain.

"That was a stupid request of me. You are welcome to stay in the guest bedroom, goodnight," she curtly said.

"Princess wait," he said standing up to follow her.

She stopped where she was, but still had her back towards him. He didn't want to lose this moment of peace between them yet.

"That wasn't a stupid request. I'll gladly tell you. Hold your arm out."

She slowly turned around and held out her right arm. He linked it with his, and felt a spark between the two of them. Doing this felt right. He slowly led her back to the couch and they sat down together.

He described how he was just about six feet, he had long, shaggy black hair that his mother always threatened to cut if he let it grow out too much. His green eyes that he had inherited from his father, and that his mother always compared to emeralds. Even if it felt awkward doing it, he told her everything.

A small smile stretched against her lips. He could practically see her conjuring up an image of him in her head. He couldn't help but think of the portrait of her in the West Wing, and how she looked like that now, but she was so much more beautiful in person.

"Wow, definitely not how I pictured you," she said with a breathless laugh.

Percy gave a small laugh as well, and pretended to be offended by her comment. He put a hand over his heart like she had pained him.

"I don't know if that was an insult or not. How did you picture me?"

"I don't know, but definitely not the way you described yourself."

He loved how he was able to see a whole new side of the princess. She was far from the beast he had encountered when he first met her. It seemed like that was years ago, when it really was just a few days at most.

He just stared at her, taking in her face. She had a long and straight nose, and lips that were perfectly full. He could just imagine how beautiful she would be had she not been cursed. She was born to be a princess.

A sudden rush of red formed on her cheeks, and she instinctively placed her hands to cover it up. He realized that she was embarrassed by something. He gently placed a hand over hers looking at her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked her softly.

He felt her flinch under his touch, and she took a sharp inhale of air. He took his hand off of hers, slightly hovering in case it was okay to touch her hand again.

She slightly nodded her head yes in response. She then stood up from the couch they were sitting on.

"It's getting rather late. We should go to sleep now."

Percy stood up with her agreeing.

"Would you like me to escort you to your room?" he asked out of courtesy.

"That would be lovely."

With a smile he linked his arm with hers and she told him the way to go.

He noticed how beautiful her full smile was.

* * *

Sally and Atlas Lachance sat across from each other in two big love seats in his living room.

Photographs of his family, and of himself in various places around the world littered the walls of the house, showing off the wealth they had. Antiques that he had accumulated over the years hung in between the photos and were lined up on shelves that stacked up high towards the ceiling.

Sally felt that the Lachance household was a beautiful one, and it really did show off their wealth, but to her it didn't feel like a home. Her own house was a small one, and the bakery took up most of it. But she didn't have a lot to flaunt, but the little things that were inside reminded her of the good memories. Little scars that were all over had a different story to tell.

Atlas looked over at the fireplace in deep thought. He was hunched over his seat leaning his elbow on his thigh and his hand on his jaw. Sally knew the proposal she gave would be a long shot, but she had to try.

After a few minutes of silence, Atlas straightened his back and turned towards Sally. His blue eyes were narrowed and his eyebrows were furrowed. He wore a slight frown on his face as well.

"You're telling me that your son was taken by a beast?" he asked again skeptically.

Sally leaned forward gripping the armrests of the chair tightly. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"Yes, by that monstrous princess. She is holding him captive and I need help to save him from whatever torture she's doing to him," Sally said with a serious tone.

"And you proposed that if I do help find your son from this beast princess, you'll let my daughter marry your son?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Atlas stood up, towering over Sally. He slowly walked over to a picture of Calypso in all her socialite glory. Sally hated that she was going behind her son's back, but if it was the only way to keep him alive, she had to do it. He would understand.

At least I hope he'd understand, she thought to herself.

"While that offer sounds very enticing, because your son is all Calypso seems to talk about nowadays," he said turning with a small smile like had shared an inside joke with her.

He had his back facing the wall now. His hands were behind him and he looked down at Sally who was still seated.

"But, I simply cannot believe that a beast took your son. That's the talk of a mad woman, you do know that right Sally?" he said condescendingly.

Sally stood up anger coursing through her veins. Even though he was much taller, and much stronger than her, he didn't scare her one bit. Sally fought tooth and nail for everything she ever had, she wasn't afraid of him.

"Don't you dare call me a mad woman! It's true, and I'll find proof of it!" She declared.

Atlas gave Sally a wolfish grin in return.

"If you do, please let me be the first to see it," he asked.

* * *

Percy noticed that as the days went on, he and the Princess seemed to get along better each time they were together.

The castle seemed to become lighter, and less gloomy looking. The Princess had even changed from a black dress to a nice navy blue one. The top part of her dress still went up to her neck and had long sleeves, but they had beautiful gold buttons that ran down parallel sides in the middle. There was no longer a long train of fabric coming from behind her either. She wore a new bonnet and veil over her face, but it was blue instead of black.

The servants no longer just swept dirt and glass away by the walls of the hallways. Instead they actually cleaned up and threw it away, making it more presentable. They also started to willingly help Percy out by telling which doors led to which rooms. It was very nice to know information so he could help the Princess around.

He even started to bake and cook with Ms. Levesque and Ms. Demeter in the kitchen. They showed him how to make all new foods and shared their recipes and secrets with him. The idea that he would be able to share them with others one day made him smile.

It was also true that the princess had a sweet tooth. Every day during lunch time, he would make her a new treat to share with her. She always looked excited to try something new. She would sit at the head of the table, the very seat he sat in the first night here. She would have her napkin placed over her lap and her hands on the table, fingers crossed. She sat up straight in her chair. Her white eyes would light up in anticipation when she heard the back doors to the kitchen open.

Percy would never tell her what he baked for her, and he made a guessing game out of it. He quickly picked up that the princess loved puzzles and games that made her think hard. She would take a bite of it, light up and say how amazing it was before trying to figure out. Much to his entertainment, she never got it right, and would give a little pout while continuing to eat whatever he had given her.

One day, it was a beautiful winter day with the snow freshly fallen on the ground from last night. The two of them were in the dining room, which had panoramic windows showing the scenery from outside. The first time he'd been in here, he didn't even notice because it had curtains drawn over it.

They were eating their breakfast in silence, like they usually did. The princess took her napkin and wiped her mouth before placing it on the table. She raised her head and looked towards Percy.

"You have brought life back to this castle Percy. But there is one room I have yet to show you, will you let me?"

Percy stopped eating his scrambled eggs and put his fork down on the China plate in front of him. He ungracefully wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before swallowing the food down.

"Of course you can. I'd love to do that."

She stood up, brushing the skirt of her dress before taking a step to the side and sliding her hands up and down the chair before pushing it in.

"Good. Ms. Demeter, Hazel, we are done now," she called out.

Percy looked longingly at his eggs and bacon he hadn't been able to finish before getting up as well.

The two teapots came hopping out of the back room with trays. He gave them both a smile and a nod of thanks before following the princess.

Like always, he linked his right arm with her left one. It was how he helped escort her around the castle.

"I would love to make it a surprise, but as it's still difficult to navigate my own home, I'll need help."

"What room would you like to show me, Princess?"

"My library."

Percy looked over at her with a surprised expression. It was one of the forbidden rooms he had been told the very first night. The door was even locked tight so that no one could get in except for Chiron. She had a small smile on her face and her head was held high.

The two of them walked towards where the room was. The doors were massive, almost as big as the ones at the entrance to the palace. In between the two beautiful handles was a big lock that kept them shut tight.

"Princess, we are here. But the doors are locked tight."

She let go of his arm and patted his shoulder before squeezing it. She slowly stepped forward with her hands out in front of her. When she felt the big lock she started unbuttoning her jacket. Percy widened his eyes in surprise.

"Of course it's locked. I made sure that there was a lock so no one but Chiron and myself could get in."

She pulled out a necklace that had a key on the end of it. She reached behind her neck and unclasped it off. She took the key and searched for the hole in the lock with her fingers. When she found it, she placed the key inside and twisted it, unlocking the doors. She took the lock off and handed it to Percy.

He gladly took it from her, his hand being slightly weighed down by the lock. It was heavier than he anticipated, but was still able to carry it with ease. She grabbed the golden handles and pushed the doors inwards opening up the room to him.

"Why would you lock away this room? It's magnificent," Percy said in awe as he followed her inside the library.

The library must have been at least three floors. There was a grand staircase at the end of the room which broke off into two more that led up the the second floor. A spiral staircase led up the third floor. Walls were lined from floor to ceiling with books of all colors and thickness. Some had worn out spines, while others looked brand new and completely untouched. Hanging down from the ceiling was a beautiful candle lit chandelier that brought light and life to the library.

"Because, if I can't use it, no one can," was all she said.

He arched an eyebrow at her comment. He kept looking up at all the books, carefully touching the spine to each one.

"That's awfully selfish of you don't you think?" he stated.

She whipped around towards him with her arms crossed over her chest. He could tell that he had said the wrong thing, and now she's angry with him. Sometimes her short temper annoyed him.

"You don't understand. I know the servants who left me stole books from me. Some of them are priceless and originals from my mother, and now they're gone forever.," she ranted.

Her rant had started off heated and every word was sharp. But as she got to the end, it sounded much more broken, and it made Percy feel heartbroken. He didn't know why he assumed that she was oblivious the obvious mistreatment her servants gave her. He knew she was a very intelligent woman, and she probably caught on quickly. But she had no power of them, they weren't afraid of her. They knew they could get away with things. And even though she had been mean to him when he had first met, he knew she was kind.

"I know they take advantage of me. My servants think me a blind fool, but they forget how intelligent I really am. They can dress me backwards, serve me the wrong food, not clean up and have me trip over fallen items. But I won't let them take my books, not after I lost the one I loved the most in the entire world."

"How do you know it's lost?"

"Because when I asked for Chiron to hand it to me, he wasn't able to. It's gone," she whispered.

Even though she had her bonnet and veil covering her face, he could tell by the tone of her voice that she was still devastated about the loss. He wanted to help her, because he knew what losing something so special was like. And he hated seeing others go through that loss as well.

"What's the name of the book you lost, Princess?"

" _The Bear and the Bow_."

The image of the red and gold book Mrs. Quinn had given him came into his mind. That same title was written on the cover of the page. She had told him she acquired it from someone who used to work at the Castle. That it had been a book that personally belonged to Queen Athena herself.

"Oh my god," he whispered to himself.

The book was sitting on his bed. He had to run up and get it to the princess. It rightfully belongs to her anyway.

"Stay here," he commanded.

She tilted her head to the side and put her hands on her hips.

"Wait why-" she started asking.

Percy didn't even hear the rest of her question as he was already out of the library. He ran up the familiar path towards his room and burst through the doors. A startled yelp came from Madame Amore, which he hastily apologized for. He walked over to his neatly made bed and picked up the red book.

It was a relatively small one, but the red had started to fade. The pages were yellow with age and cracking just a little. The spine was worn out, showing how many times the book had been opened. He looked over the gold letters written in beautiful cursive again before rushing back out and down towards the library.

By the time he got back, he was leaning against the wall of books, huffing and puffing out breaths. The princess was standing right where he left her, but her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Now where did you run off to so suddenly?" she asked.

"To get you this," he replied holding the book over his head.

He walked over with a big smile on his face. Even though he couldn't see her face, he could practically feel her skepticism showing.

"Hold out your hand for me please."

"Why?"

"Just do it Princess."

She slowly uncrossed her arms and held out a hand in front of her. He gently placed the book in her hand which got a gasp from her. Her other hand flew to the cover and she started feeling all the corners of the book.

"What book is this?" she asked with curiosity.

"The Bear and the Bow," he responded with delight.

Her back straightened up and she once again started touching the book with both her hands. She faced Percy.

"You're lying to me aren't you?"

Percy felt his smile melt off his face. Even after all the time they had spent together, slowly starting to trust one another, she still thought he would lie to her. And that made him so sad.

"No, I swear to you it is _The Bear and the Bow_."

She looked down at the book again for a few moments before handing it back to him. He took it from her hands not knowing what she wanted from him.

"Read the first line of the story to me."

Percy had never really like reading all too much. He wasn't very good at it, but his mother had educated him enough that he was able to. But if he wanted to gain the Princess' trust, he would read the first line for her.

He cracked open the book, holding the spine and balancing it on his arm, while he flipped through to the first page of the book. The font was horribly small, making it very hard for him to read. He cleared his throat in preparation. He had never felt so much pressure to read, especially with her steely gaze on him in anticipation.

"This is a tale of how pride almost ruined a relationship between a mother and a daughter," he read aloud.

He looked up towards the princess and found her chest heaving up and down rapidly. He slammed the book shut dropping it on the ground and made his way to her. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you alright Princess?" he asked in concern.

He could hear quiet sobs and sniffles coming from behind her veil. Percy slowly reached up and turned it over so he could see her face. Tears were coming out of her eyes and trailing down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.

"You weren't lying," she whispered.

"I would never lie to you, Princess," he whispered back.

And he meant it. As the days had worn on, he wanted to trust the Princess. He knew that trust went both ways, and she had placed a lot of trust in him. He wouldn't want to take advantage of that trust, because he knew that betrayal was the last thing she needed on top of everything else.

He had been denying love all his life because he had wanted to find the right one. He was the subject of many suitors coming around and trying to win his heart so that he would propose. But every lady he had met hadn't been the one. There was no emotional spark between them, and that was something Percy required. But he found himself falling for the Princess, harder and harder everyday.

"You are welcome inside here anytime you wish. Just ask Chiron to let you in. Now it's time to move on with our day."

* * *

"I still can't believe you're making me dance with Percy. I haven't danced in years!" She exclaimed.

"He is the one, you and I both know it. And I can see that you have feelings for him. And it's pretty clear he has feelings for you too" her handmaiden Piper said.

The princess scoffed at the thought. She might have trusted him, but she couldn't love him. They weren't even that close!

"How can you even tell that?" she asked not buying it.

"Because I can see it in his face. He gets all lovey-dovey. He has this big dopey smile on his face when he escorts you somewhere, and his green eyes light up at the mere sight of you. He has feelings for you Annabeth."

She wanted to bite back with the comment: well, gee if only I could see his face, then I would surely know wouldn't I? But she managed to hold it inside of her. Instead she opted to just roll her eyes and cross her arms over her chest.

She felt Piper smack her arm down. Her handmaiden turned mirror chastised her.

"Keep your arms down. I'm putting on your corset now."

She let out a groan of displeasure which got a chuckle out of Piper. She was really the only one who kept loyal to her besides Chiron. She felt the corset tighten as Piper pulled the ribbons and she let out a gasp.

"God Piper, must you pull it so tight?" she asked gasping for breath.

"If you're going to fit into the beautiful gown Madame Amore picked out for you, then yes," Piper retorted.

She wished that she could see the gown chosen for her. It had been so long since she's seen anything but black that colors seemed to be fading faster from her imagination than she could handle. But she always loved when someone described something to her.

"What does the gown look like?" she wondered.

"Raise your arms up," Piper commanded.

She obliged and she felt the garment of the dress slip over her head. She put each arm through the holes designated for them and felt the gown fit like a perfect puzzle piece. Surprisingly it wasn't heavy at all, but the opposite. She ran her hands down the skirt of the gown, feeling the softness of the silk threads. She felt that the skirt poofed out in a large circle around her legs and feet.

"The gown is a beautiful beige with golden trims and accents. There is a mesh overskirt that has golden stars and leaves stitched into the bottom and going up halfway. The neckline scoops down widely with golden ruffles bordering it. There are very short sleeves that are ruffled as well. It really is a stunning gown your majesty."

She closed her eyes trying to imagine the dress in her head. She had no doubt it was stunning, but she would just have to stick to her sense of touch and own imagination to draw a picture of the gown in her head.

She felt Piper place a bonnet over her head to cover her snakes. She heard them hiss in protest, but at this point they were used to it. Piper expertly tied it and turned her around. She felt her start to do some makeup over her face.

"There's no use in trying to make this face look pretty Piper," she sighed.

"Don't throw me a pity party. Of course we can. I have Silena to help me."

She knew then that there was no use in arguing. Silena would have her way one way or another, especially if it has to do with love and makeup. She loved that stuff. So she let them do whatever they wanted to her.

After what seemed like forever they determined that she was ready to be presentable. They called in Chiron to help escort her to the grand ballroom. A place she hadn't visited since before her parents died. It just didn't seem right, and she didn't want to relive any memories of a time before death and curses. It just hurt her too much.

But now she was going in there, and she was going to dance with Percy. Butterflies started fluttering in the bottom of her stomach. She tried to quell them and calm her mind, thinking of rational things and not emotions. Unfortunately for her it seemed that her emotions were clearly winning the battle.

She heard three knocks on the wall and she gave a smile towards the sound. A moment later an arm linked through hers. The two of them walked out the door and down some corridors. She had a mental map lied out in her mind, but she was sure it wasn't all too accurate because of the vastness of the castle.

She heard a set of doors swing open before her and she and Chiron walked through them. Slowly they descended down a set of stairs before they stopped and he kissed her hand. He gave a squeeze of comfort and support before she heard his footsteps clacking away up the stairs.

"You look absolutely stunning, Princess," Percy's voice came.

She turned towards the sound of it. A hotness came over her face and she turned her head down with a bashful smile. She started to fidget with the fabric of her dress.

"I'm sure you look very handsome Percy," she shyly said.

A chuckle came from him at her comment. He gently grabbed her hand and kissed it as a formal gesture.

"If only you could see how ridiculous I look in this outfit. Certainly not fit for a baker like myself," he joked.

"Now you're just being modest."

She found it was so easy to banter with Percy. Nothing felt strained with him, and to her it was like a breath of fresh air. For the first time in years, she felt free from the burden she'd been shouldering alone.

"I swear it's true!" he said laughing heartily.

She found herself laughing along with him. And it felt so _good_.

"May I have this dance, my princess?" he asked.

She could practically picture him bowing down to her. Hoping that he was, she grabbed both sides of her dress and bowed in respect. It was part of the proper dancing etiquette that was drilled into her head as a child.

"You may," she responded with a smile.

She felt his arm hook with hers and they descended down the main staircase that led to the spacious ballroom. As they started she heard violins, piano and the rest of an orchestra begin to play a melody that was beautiful.

They walked across the floor and got into proper dancing stance. She put her hand in his, and the other around his waist. She could feel his pulse from his wrist beating rapidly.

"You do know how to dance right?" she questioned coyly.

"Well, I know the basics," he shyly said.

She let out a little sigh and rolled her eyes.

"I guess I'll lead then," she determined.

"Be my guest."

Slowly they started moving in rhythm to the music. Percy was a little slow to pick up the steps of the waltz, but he learned eventually. And when he did, he was good. They twirled around the ballroom for who knows how long. But time didn't matter at that moment to her.

As the music started to slow down, so did the dancing. In a spontaneous gesture, she leaned her head against Percy's chest and closed her eyes. It just felt so right to do. They felt right together, she could feel it in her soul. And she hoped Percy did as well. She could feel his heartbeat pounding through his chest and she knew he was just as nervous as she was about this.

"You can call me Annabeth," she whispered to his chest.

"Annabeth," he said like he was testing the way her name sounded coming off his tongue, "I love it."

"There's a balcony right outside, would you like to join me?" she asked.

"Of course I would."

By this time the music had stopped playing in the background. Percy grabbed her hand and they walked over to where the doors opened up to a stone balcony. They both sat down on the edge of it.

The air was nippy, but it wasn't too bad outside. She suppressed a shiver that went down her spine, not just from the cold, but from the question that was burning inside of her. She looked down and fiddled with her dress fabric before looking back towards the direction of Percy.

"Percy…" she started before hesitating.

She took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves down before continuing on.

"Are...are you happy here with me?" she timidly asked.

She felt Percy grab her hands and gently squeeze them. She couldn't help but notice how much bigger his were from hers. They seemed to engulf her petite ones.

"Yes, of course I'm happy here with you," he insisted.

The tone in his voice was different from before. He was quiet a few moments after he said that, lulling them into a silence that wasn't exactly not tense.

"Is something wrong?" she asked hoping that she hadn't scared him away with the question.

She heard him let out a soft sigh that was full of emotion and heaviness. Fear flourished in her at the sound.

"It's just, I wish I could see my mother again. Just for a moment more. I miss her so much," he muttered.

He was so full of longing, and she hadn't even realized how long he'd been here with her for. It seemed like such a short time when really it had been at least weeks since the first day. She felt a stab of guilt inside where her heart was. She had kept him for herself for selfish reasons, not thinking about his own feelings. She looked down in shame of her actions. She tried to think of a way to help Percy with his feelings of longing.

Suddenly she was struck with a thought. Piper and Silena, her two mirrors with magical properties could help him! They're a portal to the outside knowledge, but every time she asked for anything, any news, they wouldn't work. But maybe Percy had a chance.

"I have a way I can help," she offered.

She felt him squeeze her hand a little tighter.

"Really?" he asked, his voice filled with hope.

"If you would lead me to my chambers, I will show you the answer."

The two of them stood up from their seats and started to walk towards her room. There was a silence between the two of them. A sense of melancholy washed over her at the thought of losing the one person who could break her curse.

When they entered her room, she walked over to where she knew Piper would be.

"Piper, please show Percy whatever he'd like," she solemnly commanded.

She heard the body length mirror shuffle towards Percy. She remained where she was with her head down.

"I'd like to see my mother, please," he asked.

"Of course," Piper obliged.

She felt hissing coming from Piper, which was a brand new noise to her. She figured that meant she was working for the first time. She raised her head up towards the sound. She heard Percy gasp at whatever he was seeing.

"Mother," he gasped, "what is she doing in there all alone? She could get hurt! She needs help, I must help her!"

"Where is she?"

"She's in the woods. She has fallen and needs help before something terrible happens to her," he said in a panicked voice.

She looked down. She envisioned the rose sitting alone in the West Wing, slowly withering away. She can practically feel all the petals that have fallen off the rose since she first got it. She knew time was running out, but she had to let Percy go. She had to release the person she loved, because it was the right thing to do.

"Then you must go find her," she stated.

"What did you say?" Percy asked with a shocked tone.

She closes her eyes and lets out a heavy sigh.

"I release you. You are no longer my prisoner," she declared.

She heard him walking towards where she was standing. A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. Instinctively she put her own on top of it and leaned her head to the side.

"You mean, I'm...free?" he hesitantly asked.

"Yes. Please, go find your mother."

She turned around towards her vanity and grabbed the small hand-sized mirror. She placed it in Percy's hand.

"Take Silena. She has the same magical properties as Piper. She's yours to keep."

"I'll do anything to help you," Silena replied.

"Think of it as a way to remember me."

She felt a hand on her cheek and she leaned against it. She could feel the tears starting to form behind her eyes.

"Thank you for understanding, Annabeth."

With that she felt his hand slide off her cheek and his footsteps retreat out of her room. When the door shut, that's when she finally let the tears fall down. Silent sobs racked through her body.

"Why did you let him go?" Piper asked softly.

"Because I love him."

* * *

Percy ran out of there as fast as he could. As he started making his way towards the doors he was stripping off the clothes provided for him to dance with Annabeth. He had loved every second of it. And she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. But he knew in his heart that his mother always would have a first priority over everything. And he couldn't bear to see her alone and struggling in the cold forest alone.

A coat hanger named Jason, who had helped him get ready handed him a jacket to wear to bear the cold weather outside. Percy gave a thank you and shook his friend's hand before putting it on and running towards the stables where Blackjack was kept.

His horse seemed to be glad to finally see his master again, but Percy didn't have time for pleasantries. He patted the stallions snout as a form of hello before saddling up quickly and jumping on his back. He flicked his wrist, snapping the reins against his horse who then started to gallop down the stone pathway and through the wrought-iron gates and into the woods.

At least three feet of snow blanketed the ground, making Blackjack use more energy to get through it. The trees towered over him casting shadows every which way. The only form of light was the full moon shining down from the night sky and getting in between the cracks of shadows.

"Mother!" he would shout into the air hoping to get a response.

He would turn his horse left and right looking for any sign of his mother. When they didn't they would move on and he would shout her name once more hoping for anything as a signal.

After what seemed to be hours and no signs, Percy began to panic. The shadows were already starting to dissipate with dawn slowly arriving. He didn't want to give up, but his shouts were now beginning to lose it's rigor. His throat was sore from shouting, and he didn't have any water on him which didn't help.

With a sigh he flicked the reins making Blackjack start to trot forward.

"Maybe this will be the time we find her," he whispered to his horse.

Blackjack nodded his head like he was agreeing with Percy on something for once. He always wondered what it would be like to actually talk to his horse.

With a deep breath he mustered the energy to shout out for his mother one last time. He let go of the reins and cupped his hands around his mouth to help amplify his voice.

"Mother!" he shouted.

His eyes scanned the clearing quickly, trying to find anything. He was about to start crying from the feeling of hopelessness but he caught a glance of something. He pointed his finger in the direction and led Blackjack over there. As they approached, Percy realized that it was his mother lying in the snow unconscious.

Percy quickly jumped off his horse and ran towards his mother. He fell to his knees and turned her over. Her hair was spread around her, and her face had started to turn blue from the cold. She was in one of her dresses that wasn't nearly warm enough in this weather. He picked her up and carried her bridal style and leaned her against Blackjack's neck. He got on behind her as to make sure she wouldn't fall off on their ride back home.

Somehow, they managed to get out of the forest in what seemed to be record time. His little village came into view just as the sun was rising for a new day. The sky was turning a beautiful violet color with hints of pink and orange in the mix. As he slowed Blackjack to a trot through the dirt roads, all the shops were closed and the residents were still sleeping.

When they got to their house he jumped off his horse's back and brought him over to the stables where, Blackjack happily went. He grabbed his mother gently and carried her through their door.

His home was just like he remembered it. Not nearly as grand as the castle he'd been living in, but it still made him happy to see. He walked into their little living room and sat his mother on a chair. He grabbed some matches and lit the fireplace to get some warmth into the room. He could see his mother starting to come around and was shivering. He walked over to the closet and got the thickest blanket they owned and draped it on top of her. He heard her groan and start to move around. Percy grabbed a step stool and sat on top of it waiting for his mother to fully wake up.

Slowly her eyes started blinking awake. When she finally set her eyes on him, he gave her a soft smile. She sat up straight and let out a gasp of shock. He leaned forward and gently pushed her down against the chair again.

"Stay still. You're still recovering from slight hypothermia, Mother. I'm going to make some broth and bring it to you okay?"

The light in her blue eyes seemed to come back again. She shuffled out of her blankets and brought her arms out. Percy leaned forward and embraced his mother tightly. He nuzzled his face into her shoulder, cherishing the feeling of seeing his mother again.

"I thought I would never see you again," his mother whispered.

He let go of the hug and wiped a tear from his eye. He just looked over at every detail of his mother's face, trying to remember every single one.

"I missed you so much," he confessed.

Her blue eyes seemed to change suddenly. They weren't soft and light as they had been just a moment before. Both her strong hands grabbed Percy's.

"The Beast. How did you escape from her?" she asked in a panicked voice.

At the thought of Annabeth he gave a small smile. Gently he took both his mother's hands off his shoulders and placed them in her lap. He brushed a little curl out of her face.

"I didn't. She let me go," he said with fondness in his voice.

"That horrible Beast?" She exclaimed in shock. Her blue eyes were wide and her eyebrows were scrunched together.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck, as he always did when he was nervous about something.

"She's changed mother. She's not the same person you met," he explained.

His mother looked skeptical about what he was saying, but she didn't say anything in protest. He stood up and stretched his arms.

"I'm going to make you something to warm you up now okay?"

She gave a soft and motherly smile at him and nodded before closing her eyes. He walked into the kitchen and started to make some broth for her. It felt so good to be inside his own kitchen and to be cooking there again. He'd missed it more than he thought. When he was finished, he walked over to his mother who was still sleeping. Softly he placed a table next to her and put the bowl on top of it.

"Eat up mother," he gently said waking her up.

She gave a smile and reached over to the bowl and spoon. She blew on the spoonful she grabbed before putting it in her mouth. She let out a sigh of content.

"Thank you Percy. I couldn't ask for a better son."

"And I couldn't ask for a better mother. Rest up, I'll take over the bakery today."

She looked like she wanted to protest, but Percy just crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow. After he gave her that look, she backed down, but not without an eye roll to go with it.

He walked back into the bakery entrance and unlocked the door to let people enter. The sun had already risen meaning that people were up and about for the day. He put on his apron and stepped behind the counter.

It looked like his mother, no matter what she was doing always had time to put her bakery first. Even if she was lost in the woods almost dying. Trays of muffins, cakes, breads of all kind, danishes and other pastries were already prepped and ready to be sold. He brought them out one at a time and placed them inside glass cases they had just bought.

Soon enough, people started trickling inside the bakery, the bell on the door ringing each time. They all looked surprised to see Percy, but carried on without really blinking an eye. Occasionally someone would ask where he went, and he would just reply on a trip to a neighboring village. It felt so natural to get back to work, even after not doing it for weeks. And he loved the normalcy of it.

The day went by fast. When he had closed up shop, he locked the door and went behind the counter once more to start counting how much money they had made for the day. He separated each coin by value amount and counted each amount of paper money he had. On a piece of parchment he wrote down the totals before adding them up into one big one. Once he did that, he dated it and put it with the rest of their records.

He hung his apron back on the wall before walking into the home part of his house. His mother was no longer just sitting in the chair, which meant she probably felt a lot better. He checked her room, and found her peacefully sleeping with an open book on her chest. Slowly he closed the door not wishing to disturb her. He changed into a fresh pair of clothes that weren't covered in flour and other various cooking ingredients.

Just as he put on a shirt, he heard knocking coming from his front door. Wondering who would be knocking at a time like this, he walked over and opened the front door. In front of him was Calypso looking pretty as ever in her fancy gowns. She was wearing a black and red one, which for her was unusual colors. She had a wide wolfish grin on her face.

"Oh Percy, you're back home finally! I'm so glad," she exclaimed.

Percy leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked behind her, and saw her towering father, a man who practically ran the town as well as almost all the men in the town. They each had a torch in their hand, which he found very unusual.

"What can I help you with today Calypso?" he asked trying to get her to leave.

He heard the soft footsteps of his mother approaching behind him. He looked over and saw that she had gone pale and her eyes were wide.

Calypso looked confused, but she still had her grin on her face. She looked towards his mother and then at him.

"Oh, you haven't heard? I'm courted to you Percy! I'm going to be your wife!"

Percy felt his jaw slacken at the mere thought of getting married to Calypso. He looked at her like she was a crazy person.

"Have you gone mad? I never proposed to you. I'm not going to marry you."

The grin melted off Calypso's face, and she looked murderous. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at where her father Atlas was. The towering man came up next to her with a smirk on his face.

"A deal's a deal Sally. Even though we didn't have to rescue your son from that so called Beast you claimed was holding him hostage, we still shook on it."

A sense of betrayal filled the inside of Percy. He turned towards his mother who had tears in her eyes and wouldn't look Percy in the eyes.

"Mom, is that...true?" he asked, his voice cracking on the last word.

She shook her head in shame and finally looked up to him. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her face was filled with so much guilt and hurt.

"Percy, I'm so sorry."

She took a step forward, but he took one back from her. Her face looked like she had been slapped. But he was cut from his mother, that she would go behind his back like that. It wasn't like her to do something like that. And they both knew it.

"Percy, you have to understand. I thought it was the only way to get you back after losing you to the Beast."

Anger filled him. The thought of calling Annabeth a beast, when she was so much more than that made him furious.

"She is more than just a beast!" he yelled in frustration.

A silence swept across every person. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Calypso and her father exchange a look.

"You believe in the beast too?" Atlas asked.

Percy turned towards him, with a new fire in his soul. He scowled at the two of them standing before him.

"Yes, and I can prove to you that she's real."

He marched up to the room and grabbed the magical mirror that she had given as a parting gift.

"Is something wrong sir?" Silena asked as he tightly gripped her.

"Please just don't talk."

"Yes sir."

He stormed back out to the crowd and held the mirror out for all to see. There was still a silence, before Calypso burst out into laughter.

"A mirror isn't going to prove anything Percy."

"Show me The Princess!" He shouted for all to hear.

The mirror started glowing a light green as a picture shimmered into the glass. The image of her scarred face and snakes for hair showed up. She was bearing her fangs for all to see. It was a image of her as a monster. Not the one he knew. But it did the trick.

Gasps could be heard from the crowd. Whispers started floating around from person to person as they took in the image of the Princess.

"She's dangerous!" A man shouted from the crowd.

"No! She wouldn't hurt anyone, I swear. She gave mercy to my mother and I when we stumbled across her path," he insisted walking down towards the crowd.

He looked down at the image and gave a smile of fondness towards her. He missed her a lot.

"She's intelligent, and very kind. She's my friend," he softly spoke.

Calypso came storming over in front of him. She pointed a finger at him accusingly. An ugly scowl was on her face.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you have feelings for this beast," she growled.

"You're the real monster here Calypso."

She sneered at him and grabbed the magic mirror from his hands. She turned towards the crowd of angry men.

"I'm no monster! This beast is dangerous and must be eliminated. Who knows who she will take next from our village. We can't let her take one of our own any more," she declared to the crowd.

A cheer rose up from the men raising their torches and pitchforks. Atlas came next to Calypso raising his own torch that he had grabbed from a villager.

"It's time to take action! I will lead the march to the Castle to kill this beast once and for all!"

"No you can't do that!" Percy yelled at them.

He grabbed Calypso by the arm, which made her turn around. He had to try and talk sense into her.

"Calypso you can't do this. It's not the right thing to do."

"You can't stop us Percy," she said before yanking her arm from his grip and joining the ranks.

"Lock them away so they can't warn the beast!" Calypso demanded.

Two burly men grabbed both him and his mother and locked them away in their cellar from the outside. Percy started banging on the wooden doors yelling at them to release them. But soon the cheers of the riot began to fade away as the Lanchange's led the march to the Castle. With one last slam against the doors, Percy let out a scream of frustration and anger.

He turned towards his mother who had her thinking face on.

"We need to get out of here. I need to warn Annabeth."

"Annabeth?" she questioned with an eyebrow arched.

He just waved her off before he started to pace back and forth in the small room. He yanked at his hair trying to find a solution to getting out of here. If he could reach Blackjack, he would still have time.

"She's a very capable fighter, but she won't be able to fend off all those people alone."

His mother's face lit up like she had a brilliant idea. She ran over to where they kept extra aprons and such. She picked one up and handed it to Percy. He took it but was confused as to how that would help. She sighed and pointed to the little window.

"I don't think I can fit through that window," he said.

"Well punch your way through, and squeeze. Wrap your hand in the apron so you don't become a bloody mess."

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Perseus Jackson, this is our only option for now. For the first time in your life, I'm giving you permission to punch something, so take advantage of it."

He smiled at his mother and walked over. It was just out of reach, even for his tall body, so he grabbed a stool and stood on top of it. He flexed his fingers before wrapping it tightly in an apron. With a silent countdown from three, he swung his fist and shattered the glass. It was easy to take apart from there. Soon the window was free and he was able to tightly and uncomfortably squeeze his way through with some tough determination. His mother quickly followed.

They ran out and to the stables. Blackjack seemed to be spooked by their sudden appearance, but with some calming down from Percy, they quickly mounted on the black steed and started on their way.

* * *

Chiron was shocked at the news he had heard from the other servants. He couldn't believe how close the princess was to breaking the spell, only to let her once chance leave.

He had watched her grow and blossom into a whole new person. Percy was the one to save her, and they all knew it. She had opened up to him with her heart, showed her most prized possessions and even let him touch them. Sometimes he would check up on the two of them, and he would find Percy reading stories to her.

Even though she couldn't see his face, there was a soft admiration she gave to him. She started smiling, it was a little one but Chiron counted it as a victory. She wasn't so cold and callous in the way she talked. There was more respect given towards her servants, who realized this and started giving it back in return. The dynamic in the castle had started to change because of Percy, even if he didn't know it.

While Percy was at the castle, it felt like the winds of change were finally going in their direction. It felt like they had finally emerged from a dark, endless winter and were heading into the warm spring air. The castle was no longer so gloomy, and it was starting to be restored to it's former glory.

But now, even if has only been a day at the most, everything that had started to be stitched back together was now quickly unraveling itself. The princess fell into a despair, and locked herself up in the West Wing, not allowing anyone in lest they want to be threatened by her and yelled at.

"Invaders! There are invaders coming towards our doors!" Leo came hopping down in a panic.

His flames were becoming bigger in his panicked state, and the rest of the servants who had gathered to mourn their losses quickly turned their attention towards him. The candlestick seemed out of breath and he held up one arm.

"There's an angry mob heading towards us! What should we do?" he asked.

"Let us see them!" Dionysus said.

Leo nodded and they all made their way to a window. Outside it was raining and Chiron could see many people led by a man and a woman. Torches, axes, bows and any other weapon he could think that belonged to the common folk could be seen. In the middle of the mob was a large log cut from a tree being carried by man men. Chiron looked down at the woman leading the way, and in her left hand he could see the glow of a mirror. Realizing what it was he pointed down towards it.

"That woman has Silena!" Ms. Demeter exclaimed.

"We have to warn the Master!" Ms. Levesque claimed.

"I will risk my well being, and go see her," Leo declared.

He puffed out his chest with his hand over where his heart would be if he was human. He then pointed to Chiron.

"But not without Chiron there," he quickly added with a smirk.

Chiron was long used to the candlestick's antics and just picked him up with a small sigh. He then pointed to the two teapots, signalling that they were in charge of getting ready to fight. Over the years, they had gotten very intune with his signals since he couldn't verbally speak with them. The rest of the little group dispersed to get all the other servants ready for the impending attack.

Quickly he walked through the many corridors of the castle and made his way up the staircase that lead to the West Wing. The door was shut tight, and he took out one of the many keys the princess had entrusted with him years ago. He put key in the lock before opening up the door slowly.

He walked in and before the princess could yell at him, he gave her the signal that it was him by knocking three times on the wall. From Leo's candle light he could see her figure slumped over the table holding the rose and it's petals.

"Chiron now is not the time for you to come," she said in reply.

Her voice was muffled from the headdress she had put back on. Her elbows were on the table and she was holding her head in her hands. He hadn't seen her look so depressed since the day she got cursed.

Chiron looked at Leo telling him to start talking to her. The candlestick looked nervous, visibly gulped before turning towards the princess.

"Your majesty," he softly began, "there seems to be invaders coming towards the castle. They have Silena. What should we do?"

For a few long moments, he didn't elicit a reaction from the princess. The fact that she didn't yell out in anger worried Chiron. Then he heard her let out a deep sigh.

"Let them come," she whispered.

Both Chiron and Leo were shocked at her response. The both looked at each other with wide eyes before Leo went back to try and get help from her.

"But your majesty, if they come they will kill you! The spell will never be broken!" Leo exclaimed.

Suddenly she stood up knocking the chair she was sitting in to the ground. She let out a growl that sent chills down Chiron's spine. She was looking in their direction with her hands clasped around the table.

"What does it matter anyway! He left me and he's never coming back! The spell will never be broken and I'm going to be damned to be this beast for the rest of my life anyway. If they want to kill me, then let them! Now leave!" She bellowed.

Knowing that trying to argue with her would be fruitless, the two of them nodded and walked out of the West Wing without another word.

As they left, Chiron could see that Dionysus was already getting everyone ready to attack the mob that was invading the Castle. All the enchanted servants were piled up in by the main entrance making it seem like it was just clutter.

Chiron placed Leo with Will and the other candlesticks on a dresser before walking over to where Dionysus was standing. He gave a smile towards the clock who then glared and rolled his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Don't give me that look Chiron. I'm only taking charge because I don't want my home invaded," he said in a defensive tone.

Chiron tilted his head and raised his eyebrows still looking at the clock. Dionysus was avoiding his gaze, but a moment later he snuck a peak before heaving a heavy sigh.

"Fine, I care about our Master and our well being. God don't make me say it again," he admitted.

Even under the facade of laziness and the uncaring attitude, Chiron was glad he was able to get him to admit that he cared at least once. When he could talk again, he would never let him live that one down.

The thunderous thudding of something smashing into the doors echoed in the hallway. The soft pattering of rain could be heard between the silences of the mob outside. All the servants became still waiting for the moment of attack. Chiron, the only human servant slipped into the shadows behind a column.

A few tense moments later, he heard the doors burst open and the angry mob came flooding into the hallway. Chiron shifted so that he could catch a glance of the men that had trespassed.

There were at least thirty of them standing with weapons of all kinds and torches to illuminate the darkness. In the front of the pack was a tall and muscular man followed by a young socialite woman at his side. They were all looking around, confused at the empty castle and all the seemingly harmless furniture and household objects.

Chiron waited a few moments before giving two knocks on the column. The noise echoed and all the men and woman turned towards the noise. Weapons were raised in alarm but none were brave enough to venture towards him.

"ATTACK!" He heard Dionysus scream.

Chaos then ensured. All the servants started to scream battle cries and attack each person they encountered. All the men didn't stand a chance against them, which Chiron found just a little bit amusing, but quickly quelled that thought to the back of his mind.

He kept to his hiding spot carefully eyeing the man and woman who seemed to be the leaders of the mob. He saw them scanning the area among the chaos and fighting, obviously trying to find something else on their minds. He saw the woman point in the area of the staircase that led to the second floor and the two of them snuck away.

Sensing trouble, he quickly retreated the battle which was beginning to close, with many of the people retreating back where they came from. He opened up the doors to the servants passageways navigating through the narrow and damp corridors. He had to reach the princess before they did.

* * *

She could hear the fighting coming from below her. But at this point she didn't care if people were trespassing into her castle anymore.

She had fallen in love with Percy, and she had surly thought that he was going to be the one to break her curse and save her from eternal damnation. The soft thud of rain was hitting the window she was sitting next to. Her arms were crossed over the marble table and she was hunched over trying to quell her emotions and tears.

She had counted all the petals and picked up all the newly fallen ones and placed them with the others. Afraid of what she would feel, she gingerly took off the new glass case and touched the enchanted rose. The thorns still pricked at her fingers and as she reached the rose bud, she felt only one pedal left on the flower.

Her heart felt like lead as she realized that she was going to be a monster forever. A new wave of tears and depression hit her so hard that she felt a physical ache where her heart is. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life.

She wanted to be angry at Percy for letting her put her trust and feelings into his hands only for him to take it away with him while she was left to rot alone in the castle for the rest of her life. She wanted to curse and claw her way over his anonymous face, but she couldn't find the energy to hate him too much.

Finally getting over her stupid pride she let herself admit that she was the one at fault for every misfortune thrown into her life. She felt responsible for the death of her parents, she knew she was responsible for her own punishment by Hera all those years ago. And she knew she only had herself to blame for letting Percy go so easily. The only person she should be furious with was herself.

The slamming of the door startled her out of her sorrow. She turned towards the noise, wishing more than anything in the world she could see who was there. In a spark of hope and a foolish naive tone she straightened up.

"Percy?" she asked.

She heard a growl that certainly wasn't Percy. She tensed up in alarm not knowing who was there and what they were going to do.

"Give me that gun," a feminine voice demanded.

"Who's there?" She commanded.

She heard the cocking of the safety and before she could comprehend what was happening, she heard a little explosion and suddenly her left breast, right above her heart was searing in pain. She let out a roar baring her sharp teeth in the direction of the attacker. Her hand went towards where the bullet entered trying to stop the bleeding.

"Get her!"

She heard the stomping of footsteps before she was hit by a force, knocking the wind right out of her. They slammed through the glass window shattering it and landing hard on the balcony just below.

Adrenaline started to pump through her veins and she went into attack mode. She swiftly grabbed the dagger that was strapped underneath her dress and got in position. She cleared her mind and used the rest of her senses to see where her attacker was. The rain was making it a little hard but she was trained by the best.

She heard footsteps to her right and she charged and swiped in the direction of the noise. When she heard an agonized scream come from a man and she knew she had gotten him. She now knew that a man and a woman were coming up and assaulting her. The distinct sound of heels clacking on stone caught her attention.

"So you're the one who stole Percy away from me," a feminine voice declared.

It wasn't very high pitched, but it wasn't low either. It was the perfect pitch that would be able to seduce any man or woman that she talked to.

She felt a kick in the gut and crumpled to the floor. At this point the adrenaline had left her body leaving her tired and weary. She was too worn out to let her pride make her stand back up again. She could feel herself getting weaker by the second due to her losing blood.

A hand grabbed her face making her flinch. She felt her head get turned both ways.

"You really are a beast. So hideous, and what's this? You're _blind_?" she wondered with an evil joy.

She wanted to give a cutting retort back, but she had nothing to say to the woman who was unknown to her. She couldn't use anything to insult her because she had no ammunition. In just a few words she had shoved everything she had ever been ashamed of right into her face, making her feel even more hopeless than before.

"How could Percy even like someone as weak and beastly as you, when he could have me? What he sees in you I haven't a clue. But you won't have to worry for much longer because I'm about to put you out of your misery beast."

Every drop of rain that fell onto her seemed to chill her to the bone. A blanket of cold seemed to cover her entire body. She figured that the woman attacking her had staked claim to Percy's love first. She should've known better that he would love someone like her, when really he had someone back at home.

She felt another kick hit her right where her wound was. She let out a howl of pain, curling up inside herself wishing she would be dead already. She didn't want to suffer any more than she already was.

"Do you have nothing to say beast?" she demanded.

She felt too weak to say anything. She could barely muster the energy to lift her head up. Too much of her blood was coming out from her wound and soon enough she'd be dead whether the mysterious lover of Percy killed her or she'd bleed out first. She let out a groan of pain in response.

"Very well. Father, the gun please."

She heard the heavy leather boots pounding against the stone. She closed her eyes awaiting the painless death she hoped they'd give her.

"When you're done with her, I'll have her head as a spoil of war for all to see. She will no longer terrorize us," the deep voice declared.

The feeling of numbness crept across her body. She took in a deep breath to internally calm herself. The familiar _click_ of the woman pulling down the safety might as well have been the gunshot. She flinched at the noise, her heart beating faster in anticipation. She weakly lifted her hand to her wound where it was sticky and still oozing blood every time her heart pumped.

"NO!" A voice screamed from below.

Her ears picked up on that familiar tone and she suddenly felt a little lighter. She recognized that voice, she would be able to hear it a mile away. By some divine help she guessed, she was able to muster strength to look towards where Percy's voice was coming from. She could feel a small smile form on her face.

"Percy," she breathed out in relief.

"Calypso, Atlas! Don't do this!" He shouted through the rain and thunder.

Energy and strength surged through her body all of a sudden. The fact that he came back even after she let him go, made her want to fight back. She had a reason to be alive now, and she wasn't going to go down with a fight.

Her dagger that had fallen to her side was picked up and she stood up with a new found vigor. She let out a growl of anger and started her attack. Bringing a dagger to a gunfight probably wasn't the best idea, but loading a gun too much longer, and she didn't give the woman named Calypso any time to fire.

She had finally gotten a good jab at Calypso, causing the woman to hit the floor with a cry of pain. She was about to finish her off when she felt a yank on her let out a hiss of protest while she gave out a yelp of pain. She was picked up and thrown off the balcony down towards another platform of the castle. She hit the pavement with a loud thud, before she heard boot hit the floor next to her.

"You think you can defeat both my daughter and I? She is not trained in any combat, unlike you it seems. But unlucky for you I am trained very well. You put up a good fight I will say beast, but you're no match for me," Atlas' booming voice boasted.

She went to push up her body with her arms before she crumpled down. A sharp pain went up her arm in protest as she let out a groan. She could tell that her left arm was at least broken from the fall. It took all her strength to stand up without using her arm to help her up again.

"I won't let you get away with this," she said with heavy breaths.

"So the beast does speak. Well, I already won this fight. No use in trying anymore."

A wave of anger washed over her. This man had no right to speak to her like this, and she wouldn't allow for it any longer. She took a step forward towards the where he was standing with her dagger out in fighting position.

"If there's one thing you must know about me, it's that I never give up," she growled before attacking.

Atlas was significantly bigger and much more muscular that she was, but she was more lithe and quick. They grappled every time she went to get a swipe at him. The rain pouring down harder than ever before made it hard to get a good grip on each other. Finally after what seemed like hours of fighting, Atlas managed to grab a lucky hit on her. He picked her up over his head and threw her so she was once again freefalling.

She hit the ground, and got up again trying to find time to figure out where she was and what advantages she could find before he came down to kill her. She crawled awkwardly on her one good arm and knees, cradling her broken one close to her chest. She would sit up on her knees with hands up in the air feeling anything that could be close by. Finally she her hands touched something stone. She brushed her fingers over every detail so she could figure out what it was. When she did, an idea formed in her head.

"Gargoyles," she whispered with a small smile on her face.

She crawled in between two of them so she would be engulfed in the shadows. She would wait until Atlas came and tried to find her before she would sneak attack for the advantage and final blow. With him it was either kill or be killed, and she would live to see another day.

"Where are you beast?" he shouted.

He started walking down towards the line of gargoyles that lined up the roof they were standing on. She heard him smash one of them with whatever he was holding, only to let out a growl of frustration. His heavy footsteps were echoing and becoming louder each second.

"You think that you could get away with kidnapping and terrorizing innocent people from my village? That you could get the love and affection of Percy Jackson, when my daughter, the most beautiful in all the land was already betrothed to him? He led you on, he doesn't love you," he goaded before cackling like a madman.

She wouldn't believe a word he said. She had always doubted the fact that he would return his feelings towards her, but he came back didn't he? That spoke much more than any vile words spat at her by some petty angry man. She resisted the urge to pounce on him right then and there. She would keep to her plan.

"Come show yourself to me! I'll make your death an easy and painless one if you do," he harshly negotiated.

More stone smashing towards the floor rang in her ears as he let out a yell as he heaved his weapon towards every gargoyle he came across. She could hear that he was dragging it on the floor as it made a noise with every step he took. He was coming closer until she heard him take a step away from her.

She emerged from her hiding spot and jumped on his back. She clenched her legs around his body latching on tightly. A startled scream came from the man as he tried to buck and get her off.

"You're a liar, and a trespasser! As your new Queen you have committed treason against me and will die for it!"

"Queen? That means-that means-Princess Annabeth? Please have mercy, I'm sorry! I didn't-I didn't know!" he sputtered out in a panic.

She was ready to stab him in the back and let him die before she let her anger slip out of her body. She wasn't one to kill anyone, and she didn't want to become the beast she was cursed to be. Not when she was so close to breaking the spell. She tapped her fist against his shoulder, making sure it wasn't a deadly spot before stabbing her dagger in and jumping off his back.

"Leave my castle now," she growled.

"Annabeth!"

She whipped her head towards where Percy's voice was coming from. He was above her she could tell.

"Percy! Where are you?" she asked.

"I'm on a balcony. Come towards my voice and climb up. When you're close to me, I'll pull you okay?"

She nodded her head before carefully walking towards where Percy was talking. She felt weak again, all the energy she used to fight drained out of her. Slowly, she used different things that jetted out of the castle as leverage to climb. She felt a strong hand grip her own.

"You came back," she whispered as a smile formed on her face.

She felt Percy touch her face gently and rubbed his fingers over her cheeks. She leaned into his touch feeling complete again.

Suddenly a searing pain came from her back. She yelled as she felt a blade stab her right side.

"Atlas!" Percy bellowed.

She couldn't see what he did but the next moment she heard his screams echoing as he seemed to fall farther from the two of them.

"Oh no," he whispered as he pulled her over the railing and laid her down on the floor.

The pain she was in from all the wounds she acquired over the fight was almost too much to bear. She could feel her body working harder and harder to keep her alive, even with all the blood she had already lost. She felt gentle pushing on her left breast as well as where her ribs were. Even though it was soft, she let out a groan of pain.

"What did they do to you? Annabeth I'm so sorry for not getting to you faster," Percy apologized.

Her breaths were getting faster and more shallow with each passing second. Tears started to form in her eyes and she felt them leaving tracks down her cheeks.

"You-you came back," she breathed out.

Slowly she lifted her arms and let her fingers touch his face. She wanted to know every curve and dip of his face that she'd never get to see. She wanted to just have her own picture of him in her imagination so she had something when she died.

She heard him sniffle and breath through his mouth in gasps. He was crying too which made her feel a little better.

"Of course I came back Annabeth. I couldn't let Calypso and Atlas just kill you. After everything you did for me," he whispered.

His voice was cracking with every sentence he managed to get out. She felt him tug at whatever was left of the dress she was wearing and buried his head into it.

"This is all my fault," his muffled voice sobbed.

"If anything it's mine Percy. Maybe-maybe it's better this way," she gasped out.

"Don't talk like that. You'll be alright, we'll get you some medical help," he promised his voice clear now.

She felt him run his fingers through her snakes who seemed to hiss happily with the touch. She found herself leaning into it, sighing in content.

"Making promises you can't keep isn't wise," she attempted at a lame joke.

"We're together now, everything will be okay Annabeth," he said with panic laced in his voice.

With her good hand she ran it over his face one last time and she felt a small smile creep onto her face.

"At least I got to hear your voice one last time. I've always loved it," she whispered.

She felt her strength leaving her, her arm dropped back down to her body draping it across her chest. A different kind of darkness was coming over her, one that she wasn't familiar with but knew exactly what it was. Calm and no pain was creeping up from her toes and slowly making its way up her body. Finally she felt it engulf her, and she knew death was coming.

With a final sigh, she let her body remain at peace.

* * *

When he saw her chest stop breathing that's when he lost it.

"Annabeth! NO!" he sobbed as he sank his head into her chest.

He wrapped his arms around her limp body, crying and hugging it tightly as he could. Her blank eyes were still open and there was a small smile still on her face. The beautiful purple dress she had been wearing was now in tatters and covered in bloodstains that made it more red than purple.

The rain hadn't stopped, and it just made him feel worse. Through the shattered glass window he could see the glowing rose that she had kept so near and dear to her heart. He watched as the final petal fell off the flower and slowly drifted to the table losing it's luster.

"I love you," he whispered into her.

Percy had never meant anything more in his entire life. He loved Annabeth, and he wanted to kick himself in the ass for not telling her before. Now she was dead and he had nothing. He closed his eyes and kept crying, hoping that the world would just leave him alone to weep and mourn his the loss of his love.

A few moments later, he felt something shift in the air. It was still raining, but it was something very unusual...almost magical. He lifted his head up from where he had been sobbing and found that streaks of pink, blue and orange were hitting the ground and bursting into light embers. He didn't know what they were and was staring at them in shock and awe. He turned towards Annabeth who had smoke billowing around her body.

Slowly she started to be lifted into the air, her body still limp. He scrambled away from her not knowing what was happening. Her body was high up and he felt his eyes widened as he watched on. She started to spin around, seeming to come back to life right before his eyes.

Light came from her hands as she lifted them up. Her claws had retracted and turned into beautifully manicured nails. Wind picked up blowing her snakes as light so bright came from her that Percy had to cover his eyes for a moment to adjust. He watched her snakes dissolve into beautiful golden hair that came down in curls to her chest. The scars that had marred her face disappeared creating a face that was flawless.

The transformation seemed to happen in a matter of seconds, soon she was falling back to the ground as if she had just been asleep the entire time. Percy found himself scared to walk over to her, afraid of what would happen. He took a step forward with his hand out, when she suddenly got up. He then stepped back and let out a gasp.

Her back was turned to him, and she was looking around. He saw her raise her hands up towards her face and he heard her let out a loud gasp of shock. She ran a hand through her hair and touched her face. She then whipped around to face Percy.

She no longer had blank white eyes. Gray irises stared at Percy that he found lost in. They were so beautiful. Her eyes widened as she looked at him every passing second. The scars around her eyes were no longer there. She looked like the portrait he had seen all those days ago.

Her hands went flying to her mouth and she let out a joyful laugh. When she took them down the biggest grin he'd ever seen on her was stretching across her face. She ran over to him and ran her hand through his hair and was touching his shoulders and arms taking everything in with her own eyes.

"Percy, you are so much more handsome than I ever imagined," she said with awe.

He took her hand in his and ran his own hand through her curly blonde hair. He was just as much in awe of her as she was of him. She looked like the princess she deserved to be. He placed his hand on her cheek and traced over where her scars had once been.

"And you are so beautiful," he whispered.

The two of them just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, taking it all in. He loved her with all his heart, and he could tell she did as well. The spell was broken after all. Slowly he leaned down towards her and closed his eyes.

His lips locked onto hers and they kissed like they had been waiting their entire lives for it. He felt that spark he'd been craving his entire life. When they let go, he saw that the castle that was so scary and gloomy transform into a beautiful white and gold castle. The one that belonged to the royal family.

Leo, Will, Ms. Demeter, Dionysus and all his other servant friends he had made while he was here emerged from the window. A mist surrounded them as they transformed into their former human selves. When the looked down to see that they were no longer objects, they rejoiced hugging and kissing each other.

Annabeth's face lit up with excitement as she went over to hug each and everyone of them. Chiron emerged last from the window with a big smile on his face. When Annabeth saw him she immediately ran over and crushed him.

"Chiron! Please tell me you can talk once more," Annabeth said.

He let out a laugh and hugged her back.

"Of course I can. It feels so good to be able to do so again my child."

His voice was warm and soothing. Percy loved the sound of his voice and was glad he would be able to speak once again. He walked up behind Annabeth and wrapped his arm around her waist. She looked up at him with a loving expression. The two of them kissed again.

Dionysus walked over clapping his hands. He had curly black hair that almost looked purple and a too small suit of the same color to match with it.

"As custom, the future King and Queen must have a first dance together. Shall we?"

"We shall," Annabeth said with joy.

"Madame Amore! Piper! Silena!" Annabeth called out.

Three beautiful women emerged from the window. The oldest of them, Madame Amore was fixing her dress she was in. She had beautiful blonde hair that was set in a very French pompadour look. The next one behind her was dark in color and had hazel eyes that seemed to change color. She was ruffling through her choppy brown hair. The last was stretching her arms and back. She had long wavy black hair and stunning blue eyes.

"Thank god I'm no longer a mirror. Holy mother of God if I have to be manhandled by someone so vile again, I swear," Silena complained.

Annabeth let out a laugh at her handmaiden. She walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think you have to worry about that ever again Silena," she assured.

"Enough with this chit-chat! We have to get these love birds ready for their first dance together as future King and Queen!" Madame Amore exclaimed.

The three handmaidens took Annabeth back while Percy was grabbed by some others. He was dragged out of the West Wing and into one of the many rooms of the castle. The decor inside had become beautiful and restored to it's former glory he observed. He would've loved to just look around, but he figured he had all the time in the world for that now.

The servants quickly scrubbed him clean and dressed him in the same suit he danced with Annabeth many nights ago. It still fit him perfectly, and the blue and gold colors were nicely based with his skin tone. They combed his hair back so it wasn't in his face and before he knew it he was off to the grand ballroom.

As he walked over, he saw Annabeth emerge from her bedroom. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a braided bun. She was wearing the same golden dress that seemed to be even more beautiful on her now that she had matching hair with it. He waited at the bottom of the stairs for her. Slowly with a hand on the railing she made her way down. When she did, he bowed to her in which she curtsied back. He reached out his arm towards her like he had done many times before.

"May I have this dance my love?"

A brilliant smile formed on her face as she linked her arm through his. She nodded her head.

"You may."

The two of them entered the ballroom where there were all the servants waiting for them. Applause erupted as the two of them began to dance around. He saw his mother wiping a tear from her eye and looking beyond proud of him.

With the sunset casting a beautiful glow behind Annabeth, he leaned down and kissed his love once more, knowing they would have their happily ever after together.

* * *

 **And that a wrap! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! Reviews are encouraged and welcomed. Thank you! Until next time.**


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